Walking Through Fire
by AislingIsobel
Summary: Quinn was troubled with luck, bad boyfriend, couldn't keep a job, always being misunderstood. Until she happened upon a certain bar where a certain set of twins frequented. Her luck changed, but not necessarily for the better. Please read and review, thank you!
1. The Interview Room

**Author's Note - ** I'm close to finishing one of my LOTR stories and this quirky character popped into my head. It's different, she's not like my other character, she's human, no powers, just a regular girl. I've got a chapter and a half so far, and I like where this is headed. I hope that you all will find her likable too. Please note I do not own any of the Boondock Saints characters, just my OC. I haven't made up my mind yet if this will have a romance or not. Please read and review, thank you!

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She sat at the cold metal table, her right leg tapping nervously. The room was artificially bright and it shined right in her eyes. The room was plain and unfeeling; the detective who entered was tall and thin. His thick brown hair was cropped short and neat. His eyes were kind as he looked at this beaten girl, her face bruised, nose broken and the fresh blood which was dark red, slowly made a river down her perfect bow lips and dripped onto her dingy white tank. Her green eyes were dim and one could see she was broken; the fresh bruise on her eye was yellow and purple in some places. Her lip was split and dry, she had refused any water. Her short red hair hadn't been washed in a few days. Her left leg was pulled up to her chest and she was visibly shaking. This poor girl had been through hell and back, the detective was surprised she was still conscious.

The kind faced detective pulled out the metal chair and it scraped the floor loudly. The girl jumped out of her chair and screamed at the sound. Duffy reacted to her scream but calmed himself, "Hey, hey Quinn," he said his hands where she could see them, "You're fine, you're safe. You're in the police station. I promise nothing is going to happen to you here," his voice was loud but composed and steady. Tears ran down Quinn's face making tracks, she nodded absently and slowly sat back down. "Are you sure you don't want some water, coffee, soda?" the young detective asked. He was met with a blank stare and a shake of her head. This was a far cry from the strong willed woman he had met just a few weeks ago. She was destroyed, seemingly lost everything, thrashed within an inch of her life. "I need to ask you some questions," he started slowly, "Just answer as best as you can. I'll start with some easy ones ok?" She nodded again, Duffy flipped open his notepad and pressed record on tape player, "What's your name?"

Quinn cleared her throat; it was as dry as the Arizona desert and swallowed hard, "Quinn Victoria Cavanaugh," her voice was quiet and she choked out her name.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-two," she responded a bit stronger this time.

"What year is it?"

"1998, are you testing for a concussion? They already did that in the hospital," she tried to smile but her dry lips split further. She licked the split and tasted the blood from her nose, it was dried and metallic. She looked at Duffy, "I'll take that water now."

He nodded, "Greenly," he called and the goofy but sweet detective popped his head in the interview room with a bottle of water and tossed it to Duffy and then he passed it to Quinn. She fumbled with the top and Duffy opened it for her, "Here ya go," he said quietly.

"Need anything else," Greenly asked it was hard for him to look at her in this state.

Duffy shook his head and the tall detective left, "No, I'm not testing for a concussion. Just trying to get the easy questions out of the way," he gave a kind smile but it still had some awkwardness to it.

Quinn nodded, "Let's just skip to the end please," she said taking a swig of water.

"Ok, tell me how you met the MacManus brothers," he asked his voice still steady but noticed she became more present when he mentioned the Irish twins.

Connor and Murphy, there were two unlikely heroes. Quinn smiled, as a flash of their faces popped in her mind. Connor's smile, Murphy's laugh; her smiled dimmed a bit and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She inhaled deeply and then let it out sharply, raised her eyes to Duffy and began, "I met them, where you meet any Irish guy, in a bar," she laughed ruefully and Duffy smiled, "McGinty's, just a few blocks from my apartment. I wandered in one day about a year ago to use the phone to call work. Got fired on that phone for the first time and Connor bought me a drink to cheer me up. Ended up staying until closing, talking with these really nice guys and their friend…" she paused as she saw Rocco's face, bloody and bruised then how the light in his eyes went out as he died in front of her. Quinn lowered her head and said another prayer for him.

"Take your time, hon. We're in no rush," Duffy reassured.

She cast her green eyes up at the detective again and continued, "Rocco. It wasn't until I started working at the bar that things got crazy. It was last June and as usual I was running late. Running joke in my family," she rolled her eyes, "Q would be late for her own funeral, didn't really get the punctual gene from the parents. Even being an army brat." That got a laugh out of Duffy. She continued, "Missed the bus and went to the bar to call my employer, got fired again, when Doc offered me a job. It was during those months that I really got to know the boys and they got to know me."

Duffy was furiously jotting down his short hand notes while the tape recorded everything. "How well did you know them," he asked still writing.

"It's hard to explain how well. In some cases not well enough, in others too well. But there was a family bond formed and we loved each other fiercely," Quinn continued talking but her mind drifted off to the first real conversation she had with the brothers.


	2. Damsel In Distress

**Author's Note -** So here is the second chapter, couldn't stop writing this today, any time I had a spare minute I was using it to write. Still haven't decided if I'm going to put romance in the story or not, we'll see in later chapters. If I do, I'm still not sure who it will be with. I would love to get some feedback on this, so please read and review. And a big thanks to those who read the first chapter!

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The bar was dimly lit, probably to keep the headaches from forming. Quinn found her way through the tables to the kindly old bartender. He was about 6 feet tall, in his early 60's and dressed in a blue flannel shirt and khaki pants. His white hair parted on the right and his weathered yet nimble hands drying glasses. The old man gave a friendly smile, "W-w-what can I h-h-help you with, m-m-miss?"

His stutter caught her off guard for a minute, "Do you have a phone I can use?" He nodded and pulled out a rotary phone that was yellow with age. The bell clanged as he set it down a little hard on the bar. "Thank you," she smiled at him, he gave her another smile and continued cleaning. Quinn dialed the number of her present employer and almost immediately after her manager picked up she was let go. The girl slammed down the phone and the bell echoed through the bar catching the ear of two gentlemen a few feet away from her. The red head let out her frustration in a guttural growl, this was the fifth job she'd lost, you'd think she'd learn by now, the Irish blood running through her veins was not blessed with whatever luck the rest of her family possessed. She rolled her eyes, "Maybe I'm adopted," she accidentally said out loud.

"Who or what upset you," a voice came from her right. It was jovial and had a laugh in it.

She turned to see a pair of blue eyes looking at her, "Just got fired, again. Can never get anywhere on time."

"Doc, get this pretty girl a drink," the lighter haired man told the old man sitting next to blue eyes. The bar tender nodded and poured her a rather large beer.

Quinn smiled, "Thanks."

"Now come over here and park yourself next to Connor," blue eyes said. "I'm Murphy, you would be?"

"Quinn, the unemployed," she said and the boys laughed. "So," she turned to Connor, "Ireland?"

He smiled, "Smart one eh? Yeah, ever been there?"

"Lived there for about six months before we went to Brussels; army brat," she explained. "Have you been in Boston long?"

"Bout three years now, Con," Murphy turned to his brother for confirmation and the lighter haired twin nodded. It was then Quinn saw how attractive the boys were. Murphy had intense blue eyes that showed a quiet strength and kindness. His face was young; they couldn't be more than 27. His brow furrowed slightly when he let out this jubilant laugh. His lips were average but they could be pulled into a wide smile at the drop of a hat. The facial hair he had only added to his rugged charm and he had a way of looking at a person and being able to put them at ease. Murphy's hair was in disarray but it suited him and it was dark brown, like an unsullied cup of black coffee.

Connor on the other hand while his eyes were just as devastating to women as Murphy's his were care worn and while still blue had flecks of light green in them. His hair was a lighter brown, almost caramel. He had a gleaming smile and even with his care worn appearance never seemed to dim, his lips were full and always upturned. Connor's hair was longer than Murph's and worn in devil may care spikes and he had a habit of running his hands through it when his nerves were getting the better of him.

Quinn had a hard time taking her eyes off of the charming gents, they were open and giving, you don't find that a lot in guys from Boston. She had first hand experience with Robbie, her current boyfriend she had been dating since high school. He was your typical jock, ex football player now lost to the world where he no longer was a star. Her thoughts were interrupted by a man with long hair that could not be tamed came bursting through the door.

"Hey FuckAss gimme a beer," he yelled to Doc. Connor and Murphy greeted him with a hug.

Quinn figured her time with the brothers was over and turned from them to finish her beer and get home. Then someone tapped on her shoulder, she turned to see the blue green eyes of Connor and that bright smile of his, "Don't think you're gettin' off that easy, darlin'," his voice was quiet and smooth, that accent could melt a million hearts. "Hey Roc, this fiery little ginger is Quinn. Q this is David Della Rocco; he's a bit of a pain in the ass but makes up for it in comedy," Connor said with a wink.

She laughed a bit, "Nice to meet you," she extended her hand but was embraced by the new arrival.

Rocco let go and turned to the boys, "You guys have all the luck," which got a chuckle from the boys and the regulars in the bar. His dark brown eyes looked over Quinn, starting with her feet in platform Mary Jane's which were scuffed, then moving up her shapely legs in black pantyhose, then moving to the hem of her pale green dress that clung to her hips and had just a deep enough v-neck to see cleavage. Her skin was pale and her face was lovely, high cheekbones, bright green eyes that were deep in color that were big and almond shaped. Her lips were ample and her top lip formed a perfect bow. Her short red hair was cut into a bob that angled at her chin and pin straight. He licked his lips and had a gulp of beer before talking again, "You from around here?"

She smiled, "Born in Boston, but moved around a lot as a kid. Dad's in the military. And yourself, native Bostonian?"

"Yeah, never lived more than a block from where I grew up. Any brothers or sisters," he asked admiring her smile, it was sweet, made her eyes light up.

Quinn was certain that if Rocco didn't ask, the boys would have, "Yeah one of each," she paused wondering if the teasing would be worth it if she told them that her mom went a little crazy with pregnancy hormones when she named her children. "I'm the youngest, my brother Flynn is the oldest at 27, them my sister Rome is 25." She got the odd looks she knew she would and she giggled, "My mom was a little insane when she named us."

The guys looked at each other and snickered a bit before Murphy piped up, "How insane?"

She took a breath, "Well mom was watching a lot of 1940's movies with my brother, so he's Flynn Humphrey and she went through an Audrey Hepburn phase with my sister and she's Rome Holiday. With me," she started to laugh a bit, "She went through a royalty research phase so I'm Quinn Victoria." The three men burst into hysterics the brothers calling her "Your majesty," that nickname stuck around longer than she cared for. Once they calmed down enough to finish their glasses they ordered another round.

"You attached sweetheart," Rocco asked.

She sighed, "Been with a guy since high school, to be honest, and I can't believe that I'm telling this to boys I just met; I'm kinda tired of be tied down. And you Rocco, attached? You can't tell me that this fine Italian specimen before me is single," she played and he blushed.

"Yeah I got a girl, some of the time."

"How about you two, got girls? Any other siblings," she questioned to the brothers and they both shook their heads taking a swallow of their beer the exact same way. "That a no to both questions?"

"Aye," Connor answered, "Murph is me twin and Ma never remarried. As for women," he paused to look at Murphy who shrugged, "haven't really thought about it, much."

She nodded and took a swallow herself. That's when Robbie showed up. "There you are," he came at her. He always looked bigger when he was stomping around, not that he needed to; he was already about four feet wide. "Been looking everywhere for you baby," he said, his voice rough and when he picked her up to kiss her his hands were rougher still. His massive hands gripped the girl's arms, she was sure to have bruises the next day. He smashed his lips to hers so hard that it hurt her teeth. Been with him since she was 15 and he still hadn't learned to kiss softly, or anything else for that matter.

"Sorry," she said rubbing her lips, "Lost track of time, got some bad news…"

"You got fired again! Come on Quinn; is it really that hard to keep a fuckin' job," his voice almost broke into a scream.

"Can we not do this now," she said quietly looking back at all the patrons who were staring at the couple.

"Sorry baby," his voice quieted down. He turned to the boys, "And you guys are?"

"I'm Connor, this is Murphy. The last name's MacManus and this one is Rocco. We were just making conversation, didn't know we were keepin' her from anything," he smiled.

He eyed the Irishman, scrutinizing the brothers and the Italian, and then he nodded, "Yeah, well thanks," his tone was rude as he turned back to Quinn, "Let's go," he was angry and he tried to put his arm around her.

She pulled away, "Can you wait outside? I'll be just a minute, I promise, gotta pay the man," she nodded to Doc. Robbie nodded and begrudgingly walked outside. "Sorry about him," she reached into her purse but Murphy stopped her.

"We got this one," he said and nodded to Doc.

Connor pulled her aside and handed her a slip of paper. She looked at him with question marks in her eyes. He whispered, "If you ever need us, call, doesn't matter what time or where. Our number is there, plus Doc's and Rocco's," he folded the paper in her hands and gave a gentle squeeze. "Don't hesitate, just call even if it's nothin', ya hear?" Quinn nodded and Connor hugged her. She walked out the door and into Robbie's arms feeling a bit safer.


	3. Trespassing

**Author's Note - **I'm very interested as to where this story is taking me. I hope you all like this next chapter. A big shout out to all my readers and to my reviewers, you give me the fuel that keeps me inspired to write. Thank you all very much!

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"That was the first time you met them," Duffy asked bringing her back to the present. Quinn nodded and wiped a few more tears away, but the adrenaline was wearing off and she felt the pain of several bruised, possibly broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder freshly popped back into joint. She winced against the pain. Duffy handed her the bag on the floor where her prescriptions were. She downed a few pain killers and tried to get as comfortable as she could against the rigid and hard metal chair. "Tell me, if you can, the next time you talked to the brothers," he tried to smile.

The girl shuddered a bit, seemingly not feeling the pain, "It was about three weeks later. That I actually saw them again; I took Connor at his word and called him a few times. He said that in the down time they had, he and Murph were keeping an ear open for job openings. My dad was helping me with bills that unemployment didn't cover. Robbie was working, but only part time and his temper was getting worse. The worst I'd ever seen it until…" she trailed off for a moment. Quinn pulled her knees into her chest and rested her chin on them before continuing, "Connor called telling me to get ready for an interview…"

"Hey Q, I got you an interview, get ready, I'll come pick you up in 10," Connor said triumphantly.

Without thinking she said his name out loud, "Oh, Connor thank you! I love you so much right now!"

"Not a problem, always like to help when I can…" he got dead silent as he heard her scream. "Q? Answer me!" he screamed into the phone, "Quinn?" Nothing but dead air met his frantic yelling. He turned to his shocked twin; "We gotta move now," he and Murph flew out the door, jumped in Rocco's car and sped the 15 blocks to Quinn's apartment.

Murphy flew up the five floor walk up while Connor parked the car, you could hear Quinn screaming from outside. The dark haired man pounded on the door and shouted, "Q, open up." All he could hear was Robbie's bellow followed by Quinn begging him to stop. "Connor, hurry the fuck up!"

Connor dashed up to where his brother was and heard the painful sounds coming from inside the apartment. The twins looked at each other and threw their shoulders into the door; it broke after the first time. Quinn was cowering in the corner, her shirt was torn to shreds, her lip was bloody and the bright red imprint of his hand across her face. "You fuck; get away from her! Murph, get her the hell out of here! Come on, you want a fight, how bout you fight a fuckin' man," Connor screamed at the 6'3 jock.

Robbie turned to the Irishmen, "She's my girl. MINE, you fucking touch her I'll kill you where you stand," he growled, almost beast like.

Connor held his baleful gaze at Quinn's boyfriend, rage seeping into every pore of his body that he started shaking. His voice however had turned from loud to quiet and he was pronouncing every syllable, "Get Quinn the fuck out of here. I'll take care of him," his feet were planted and through the confusion Quinn didn't think a truck could knock him down.

Robbie threw himself at the Irishman after letting out a howl, throwing punches at Connor's face. Connor ducked and gave him an uppercut to the chin and threw him off balance and then pummeled the jock's midsection. Once doubled over Connor kicked his bent knees and then shins, tumbling Robbie to the hard tile floor. He landed with a nauseating thud as his head bounced from the force. He was knocked out cold. Quinn had pulled herself up on the wall, when she saw Robbie hit the floor she screamed and fainted. Murphy caught her before she hit the tile. He cradled her in his arms and Connor wrapped a blanket around her and they drove her back to their place. Connor laid her down on his bed and the brother's milled about their business trying not to wake her. The lighter haired twin called his interview contact, letting him know that she had been in an altercation and wouldn't be coming. The man understood and told Connor that when she was able she could have the interview.

The red head slept for a few hours, before stirring slightly, "Connor," her voice was weak and dry.

He brought her a glass of water, "Hey Q, I'm here. Drink this."

She took the glass from him and took small sips, "Do I want to know?"

He shook his head, "I wouldn't tell you anyway." He helped her sit up and handed her one of his shirts. She put on the oversized t-shirt and took off her shredded one underneath it. She kept her gaze away from his intense and concern filled eyes. There was an awkward silence between them for a moment and then even more awkwardly Connor stated, "Murph went out to get some stuff, should be back soon." He hands were on her knees, but he kept picking them up slightly as if arguing with himself if he should hug her or not.

Quinn raised her eyes to his; the green flecks took the forefront in the sea of blue. It was like time stopped and they were the only two people moving. She bit her lip slightly and could taste the big split on the left side. Connor moved his hands from her knees to her face, "Thank you," she whispered. He nodded, then she moved forward to kiss him and he pulled away. "Is something wrong," Quinn asked as she nervously tugged at her borrowed shirt.

"It's not the right time," he said, his voice was friendly and comforting. "Try and get some more rest. Is there anyone you want to call?"

She thought for a minute, "I need to call my dad or at least my mom," she tried to stand but he kept her sitting.

"Rest, ya hear? We can call your parents later," he helped her lie down and she was out within 10 minutes.

Murphy came home with pizza and beer, after he set it down he asked, "She wake up yet?"

"Yeah," Connor glanced her way, "Tried to kiss me."

"What?"

"Misplaced hero worship, poor kid," Connor told his brother.

"Bullshit, you like her, have since you saw her," Murphy called him out.

"Yeah, so what, nothing should happen after that motherfucker beat her. At least not right now, she's in a vulnerable place, I'm not that type of asshole," he raised his voice a bit.

"OK, just chill out. What are we gonna do with her?"

"When she wakes up, have her call her parents and let her eat if she's hungry."

The MacManus brothers waited until Quinn woke up, she called her parents. Her dad told her to stay put and he'd come and get her. She refused any food, but drank a glass of water. When her dad got to the boys apartment, she ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"Hey bee, you're ok," Frank said into her hair and kissed her lightly. "Your mom's in the car, go on downstairs, I'm gonna talk to these guys for a minute." Quinn nodded and headed downstairs. When she was out of ear shot, Frank straightened up, "First I want to tell you how incredibly stupid you both were, walking into a hostile situation, not knowing what was happening without any law enforcement, you all could have been killed. And believe me when I tell you if she had died, I would have found a way to kill you both again." The brothers nodded realizing their ignorance. When Frank was satisfied with their remorse, "Second," his voice softened a bit, "Thank you for saving my daughter from that motherfucker, I hope you beat the shit out of him." The colonel shook their hands and got their names.

Before Quinn's father left Connor called to him, "When she's up for talkin' have her call me," the military man raised his dark eyebrow and the lighter haired brother corrected himself, "Us, we want to know she's ok." Frank nodded before leaving.

Murphy turned to his brother, "You're fuckin' hopeless."

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Author's note - Ok, so I'm hinting at a connection between Connor and Quinn, still not sure if I'm gonna write it that way, but we'll see... Please read and review, thank you mucho!


	4. Out of Character

**Author's Note -** So, again thanks to all who read the last chapter, you guys are awesome! I'm kinda letting the story muse take me where she wants me to go with this. This is actually the first story where I don't really know where I'm going but I like it more and more every time I write. I hope you enjoy this as well, please read and review, thanks!

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Duffy looked at her slightly confused, "How did you know what your dad said to the boys?"

She smiled somewhat, took a sip of water, "I don't always do what I'm told detective."

The kind detective nodded, "What happened after you got home?"

"My dad made me file a restraining order against Robbie, and everything was pretty much normal after that. Had a few jobs, never called the guy Connor set the interview with," she laughed a bit. She took out a cigarette, "Do you mind?" Duffy nodded his head; she lit it and blew out a puff of smoke. She looked at the cigarette between her fingers and smiled. She loved the way a freshly lit cigarette smelled, the smoke, the burning paper, the tobacco igniting. "Bad habit I got from the boys, but man oh man do they calm you down," she said and took another drag.

"When did Robbie violate the order?"

"It wasn't until, I think five or six months later. After Doc hired me, I think he did it somewhat out of sympathy and to keep me from running up his phone bill," she laughed and it didn't hurt as much, the pain killers were starting to kick in.

Quinn walked into the quad escorted by Connor. He, Murphy and occasionally Rocco would walk with her everywhere since the incident last August; it was nice when Doc offered her a job. The boys thought the fact that she was late everywhere but going to the bar was her Irish kicking in. With the convincing of her father and the brothers, Quinn applied and started taking classes at the local university. She was trying to get caught up to start going full time, in the mean time there were just part time classes, the one she loved the most was art. Quinn always had an aptitude for drawing. Many a time when the bar was slow, she'd take out her pad and charcoal stick and sketch customers, Doc, Rocco or the boys. Sometimes she did self portraits, when other subjects couldn't be found. Connor had become her favorite subject to draw, that face of his; it had a classic quality about it.

The lighter haired twin and the red head had become quite close, there was still some awkwardness to their relationship, but it eased the more time they spent together. Quinn found that she got a bit nervous and fidgety when she was around him. However, those deep eyes of his seemed to calm her to an extent. It was that afternoon when she was finishing a project for her art professor that pushed them together unexpectedly.

She glanced up from her easel, "Connor, you aren't supposed to eat the fruit. It's for still life class," she tried to yell but the last half of her sentence came out a laugh. She had stopped him mid bite of the red apple leaving it hanging from his mouth.

He swallowed and then gave the MacManus smirk, "Well maybe you can draw me as a roast pig." He put the apple back in his mouth and then lied down on the floor.

She laughed at him, "Get up, you're not helping. I have to replace that apple you know."

He took the apple out of his mouth, swallowed the mouthful he had and smiled, "Fine but help me up would ya?"

"Boys," she sighed and walked over to him, extended her hand to him and he pulled her into him and he sat up. Their eyes locked, but when she tried to get up, he held her fast, "Connor…" she whispered.

"I know," he said quietly, "I'll behave Q," he let her up, "For now," he said with a wink and got back into position so she could finish her project.

"Thank you," she said and blushed a bit and continued working on the drawing. She threw her gaze furiously between Connor and her page, smudging the charcoal with her fingers, getting the angles and creases right. The lines flowed out of her pencil and soon what were just shapes became Connor MacManus. Handsome and protective, funny and charming, chain smoking Irishman, who she couldn't help falling for; no matter how hard she tried not to, she finished wiped her fingers and sighed.

"What's up love," he questioned his voice still gentle.

She smiled at him, "I'm just gonna miss these quiet art sessions."

"You finished?"

"Yeah," she turned the book around and revealed what had taken a few sessions to finish. He admired her work, all the little details no one else paid attention to she applied. The scar under his left eye that wasn't all that visible, where his lower lip met his chin, the fine lines by his eyes; he studied his own face, surprised by the detail Quinn had put into it.

"Regular Rembrandt here," he said, "Nicely done, but there's one thing that's not quite right."

The ginger rolled her eyes, "What?"

"I'm not nearly this handsome."

"Connor," she laughed and pushed him away from her sketch, closing her book and putting it away until her next class.

"Come on, let's get you to work," he said putting his arm around her. They walked out to the quad together and that's when Connor spotted that mountain of her ex-boyfriend. Robbie spotted them and charged forward.

"Get your hands off of her," he screamed.

Connor instinctively pushed Quinn behind him, "When I say run, run." She opened her mouth, "No arguin'." He waited until Robbie was closer, "Run." The red head high tailed it to the sidewalk by the classrooms and hid behind a pillar. Connor stood his ground, "Hey look, you aren't supposed to be around her. Now if you leave, I'll forget this and everyone can go about their day. If you don't you will suffer the consequences," his voice flat and void of emotion.

"You," he growled, "Nothing but luck last time. Little whore had me distracted," a twisted grin made its way across Robbie's face, "You fuck her yet; she resists at first but once your inside, mmm, I'm hard just thinking…"

"I'll ask you one more time to leave, before I make you leave," Connor interrupted him.

The jock snorted, "Come on man, guy to guy," he motioned from himself to the Irishman. "That has to be the reason you're being all protective right? Why you and your brother broke down the door to save poor little Quinn. She may not look like it but…" Connor cut him off with a right hook which brought him to his knees.

"I warned you, now leave."

"I'll go, but I'll be back to take back what's mine. YOU HEAR ME QUINN, YOU'RE MINE," he screamed walking calmly away. Meanwhile a crowd had gathered around to watch the intense showdown.

Connor ran back to Quinn who was slumped up against the cold stone pillar, knees pulled up to her chest and sobbing uncontrollably. "Hey, you're gonna be fine kid. Let's get you to the bar and we'll call the police ok," he asked helping her up. She wiped her eyes furiously and nodded through her hitching sobs.

"That's when I met you detective, so you know what happened after that. You took mine and Connor's statement and arrested him. I was scared shitless less that day. I couldn't really function, if it hadn't been for Connor," she shook her head.

"You had me fooled," Duffy smiled, "My first impression of you was that you took shit from no one."

"Well, not anymore."

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**Author's Note -** And yes, there will be some romantic interest between Connor and Quinn, partly because I love Connor and partly because that's where the muse is leading me.


	5. Naked Love

**Author's Note -** Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, you all make my day! I'm not gonna say anything about this chapter, just because I don't want to spoil it. I hope you all enjoy it, please read and review, thank you!

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Duffy studied her face for a moment, looking for some clue as to what she meant by her last cryptic statement. She gave none, stone cold poker face. "I know this is a delicate subject, but can you tell me what happened after Connor took you home from the bar?"

"You really want to hear this," she raised her eyebrow over her bruised eye.

"It's not for my personal enjoyment, Quinn, I need the whole story," he sighed, this was one thing he didn't want to talk about with her, but Smecker asked to get everything, the nature of her relationship with the boys. "Just keep the graphic details to yourself huh?"

She laughed, "Fine, but you opened this door. Doc let me have the night off and Connor refused to let me be alone, so he took me back to his apartment. It was close and Murphy would be there eventually and the best selling point Robbie didn't know where they lived."

"Why d-d-don't you take h-h-her home? Fuck! Ass," Doc told Connor, in his subtle way. And Connor nodded.

"You stayin'," he asked Murph.

"I'll stay," he said, "She doesn't need a ton of people fussin' over her. That's what she has you for."

"Fuck you," Connor punched his arm. "You ready," he turned to Quinn ignoring Murphy, who despite what happened earlier was smiling and nodded. The lighter haired twin put his arm securely around her and escorted her out.

Even though she had a wool coat on over her favorite sweater, she was chilled to the bone and she nuzzled closer to Connor. She was searching for warmth but none came, she was still so cold. The short 15 minute walk back to his loft was almost unbearable, but once inside and safe, Quinn started to thaw. Connor made her some tea and they sat in silence for a bit. His gaze was fixed on her, but she seemed miles away, just staring at the hot liquid in the chipped mug.

The ginger finally blinked after her eyes got dry and then tossed her eyes to Connor. His strong hands clasped together covering his mouth and chin, his eyes knitted together with worry and the fine lines at the corner of his eyes became deep crevices. The tan skin of his brow furrowed and the pattern reminded her of a hospital chart, random waves. Something about the way he looked made her forget and smile a bit. "That's how I should have drawn you."

"What do you mean," he asked lowering his hands.

"All worried and concerned for my safety; doesn't seem to matter where I go or what I do, I'm a magnet for trouble."

"Aw, come on Q," he said his palms open and she filled them with her hands. The warmth of his touch brought back a touch of color to her pale face. She stared at him with her deep green eyes, searching for something and found it when he met her gaze. Love; that simple and complicated oxymoron of emotion; it could make you crazy and elated all in one swoop. There was definitely no denying it now, they had fallen in love. The rest of the world could see it; just took them a bit of time.

Without a word, Quinn got up and faced him, her chest at eye level. Her hands still in his she bent slightly and put her lips to his. He squeezed her hands and it became more than just a simple peck. Connor's chapped lips found hers delectable and sweet; he stood and pulled her closer to him. He let Quinn lead, the last thing she needed was for him to take over.

Her soft lips moved hungrily with his and it was Quinn who pried open his mouth with her tongue and tasted the remnants of smoke and whiskey. It was a heady brew for her. She was inches away from him and she could smell the subtle cologne he wore, it was woody with a hint of spice. She moaned ever so slightly as he pulled her closer. He moved his lips from hers to her neck and she allowed the change, slightly nibbling his collarbone. Quinn ran her petite hands underneath his shirt and felt the well defined muscles he had hiding. Connor pulled away slightly and Quinn threw off the thermal he had on. Nothing was said but the Irishman threw her a look and she nodded and then followed suit with her top.

She revealed a pink lacy bra with perfect C cups filling it; he smirked and then pulled her close again. Kissing her deeply, running his hands through her hair and down her back. He kicked off his boots not taking his lips from hers as she did the same with her Mary Jane's. Quinn gave a nibble or two to his bottom lip and elicited a moan from Mr. MacManus and then moved her hands to his belt. She fumbled with it and he chuckled a bit. His jeans fell of his slim but muscular frame with just the button undone, giving way to a pair of plaid boxers. Quinn gave slight smile as she moved her hands to the growing arousal she felt against her hips. Connor trembled under her soft but firm touch and let out another moan. They were too far to stop now. He unzipped her skirt and it fell to the floor, he pushed her out slightly to look at her.

Girl had curves, she was always hiding under clothes slightly too big. Her panties matched her bra and hung low on her hips. Her stomach looked slightly concave and the outline of her ribs could be seen. Her legs were a little muscular, probably from all the running she did, and the skin that didn't get sun was milky white. He stared just a little long and Quinn crossed her arms around her stomach. He uncrossed them, stepped out of the pile of clothes at his feet and led her to his bed. He laid her down and touched her soft skin with his rough hands. The girl moaned and responded to his touch accordingly.

He kissed the dip in her stomach as he moved up to her chest and then shoulders. Connor slid off the straps as she unhooked her bra, exposing her full breasts and swollen nipples. He gently bit and sucked on them, Quinn's back arched and Connor's strong arms wrapped around her small frame holding her to him as he continued the assault with his mouth. The ginger's breathing became faster and a little ragged as more than a few moans escaped her mouth. Smiling at the reaction he was receiving, he slid off his boxers and she slid down her panties. Once they were both completely naked Connor's hands roamed over her naked and pale skin. Stopping to explore the soft flesh between her legs; she was damp, warm and eager. His hands became greedy as he entered her and felt her muscles constrict. Quinn's cries became louder and Connor continued to go faster and put his mouth back on her nipples. The red head climaxed for the first time under a gentle and loving touch.

Connor let her calm down just enough before he entered her and began to move within her, slow at first, she was tight around him but after a few thrusts her muscles relaxed before she came again and again. The sounds that escaped her surprised the Irishman more than once, it was almost animal. Quinn threw her legs around his waist as he continued to make love to his woman. This was more than sex, it was more than comfort, this was the physical expression of their emerging love for one another, and they couldn't have been physically closer than they were at this moment in time. Her body was trembling with ecstasy as he groaned long and low. Almost matching her earlier animal like growl, he shuddered as he peaked.

Both of them dripping with sweat and breathing hard, Connor looked down at this unexpected gem that had come into his life. Love certainly came in astonishing forms; he kissed her before rolling to his side. He held her in sturdy arms her head on his shoulder staring into those unique blue-green eyes. She smiled; this is what love was supposed to feel like, safe and natural, no shame. Quinn kissed his lips lightly, "I love you Connor MacManus."

"I love you my queen."

Quinn sighed contentedly and the detective looked at her strangely. "So you two went back to his loft and…"

"Sorry, detective. We had sex."

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**Author's Note - **Yeah, it happened...


	6. Down Once More

**Author's Note -** Thanks to all who read, reviewed and added this story to their alerts, it means a lot to me. I hope that you all enjoy what I came up with! Please read and review, thank you!

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A slight smile made its way onto Duffy's face. Never one to mince words and Lord was he thankful she didn't go into detail. "So you had a romantic relationship with Connor?"

Quinn nodded, lighting another cigarette, "I don't think 'romantic' covers it. While we did fall in love with one another and…" she smiled wickedly and Duffy moved nervously in his seat, "Did things that couples do," the detective breathed a sigh of relief, "There was more to it than that. We protected each other, the boys and me. The week before my birthday is when the ferocity of our relationship showed."

The week before Saint Patrick's Day, Quinn had spring break and was working full time at McGinty's. Robbie hadn't been heard from since last month. Things between Connor and Quinn were heating up even more so, every time they had time alone, their clothes were off and enjoying the newness of their relationship. The passion that they had for one another was raw but sweet in a way. And while Murphy was glad his brother was happy, he gave thanks everyday that Quinn had her own apartment.

The new couple walked down to the bar on Saturday afternoon, playfully nudging one another. Coming from Quinn's apartment the bar was a little more than 7 blocks away. It was halfway there that she spotted Robbie and froze.

"Come on, you're gonna be late," Connor played trying to move her. She just stared past him at her former boyfriend and wouldn't move. A look of pure terror flashed in her eyes as she saw him draw the knife. The blade caught the sunlight before a cloud covered it.

Robbie moved almost like a jungle cat, she had never seen him move that silently or quickly. Her first instinct was to move Connor out of the way. She pushed him as quickly as she could and the deep primal impulse launched her forward towards Robbie. Her left shoulder taking the lead and ramming it into the jock's midsection knocking him back a few feet and making him drop the knife. The metal landed on the concrete with an audible clang. The Irishman had no time to react until he saw Quinn being lifted off the ground by her neck. She was kicking her legs furiously and clawing at his huge hand while gasping for air.

Robbie had this glazed over look as he looked at the girl squirming in his grip. Then an evil grin formed when he saw Connor and the frightened look he wore. His blue-green eyes wide, his rugged face shocked into a slack-jawed expression and his feet frozen in place. The big man threw his eyes back to his prey, "Told you, you're mine. What's he gonna do now? He runs at me I squeeze your neck or I can throw you to the ground, haven't decided yet. What do you think baby," his voice was steady and he nearly purred out 'baby'. Then his dark brown eyes settled on Connor, who had his fists balled up and he was clenching them so hard his arms were trembling. "What are you gonna do lover? You turn and run like the fucking coward you are, I'll let her live. After I take what I want from her," he grinned again, then cradled Quinn in his arms and crushed his lips to hers. She was still kicking and clawing at him but now she was coughing a scream as well.

"You'll not touch her," he told her ex. Connor's voice startled the big man and Quinn; she had never heard him bellow like that. His eyes on fire with rage as he looked over the big man and then he turned to Quinn, "You trust me love?" Her eyes flicked from Connor back to Robbie and nodded as best she could. "Good," he replied and in a flash of a second ran at Robbie and threw his shoulder into him. Robbie dropped Quinn with a hard thud but other than scraped and bruised she was fine and rolled away. Connor continued his assault on her ex until he was a bloody mess of a man, curled up against the nearest wall. The Irishman had broken the jock's ribs, nose, and knees and didn't show signs of stopping.

"CONNOR," Quinn screamed and he snapped back.

He looked at the girl on the ground then back to the wounded lump of a man whimpering at his feet. Still shaking from the rage, now subsiding, he knelt down, "Listen to me. Can you hear me Robbie?" A slight moan escaped the jock, "Good, if you ever think about her again, I will find you and finish the job. Am I making myself crystal fucking clear?" Another cry of understanding came. Connor stood up and walked to Quinn hand outstretched, "Did I scare ya?" She nodded, mouth open a bit, eyes still wide. The lighter haired man helped her up gently, "My sincerest apologies love. My only explanation is that when it comes to you, I don't have an off button," he smiled. "You ok otherwise?"

Quinn nodded, nothing had been broken, just a few scrapes and bruises. The one on her neck would be hard to cover up until it healed. "Nothing a few rowdy bar patrons won't fix," she smiled.

"That's my girl."

The pair walked into the bar and the first thing out of Doc's mouth was "Fuck! Ass! Do ya need ta go home?"

Quinn shook her head, "Working is the best thing for me at the moment," she smiled as she donned her apron and waited for the crowd to roll in. Doc had already cleaned up the bar.

Murphy came in with Rocco about 20 minutes later. Murphy wore the same look Connor did in the street before his brother explained what went down quietly. Rocco didn't know much about Robbie's abuse, Quinn had always called the twins and just like the 'Funny Man' he made a joke at the wrong time.

"Like it rough do ya," he winked and laughed after he got his beer then turned to meet the fiery gaze of Connor and Murphy MacManus glaring at him. It looked as if Rocco had made a wrong move the twin's look would have killed him. "What'd I say?"

"Nothing Rock, they're just being over protective," Quinn said trying to diffuse the situation.

Quinn took another deep drag of her cigarette, shook her head slowly, "Always saying the wrong thing, but damn that man was funny."

"What happened to the knife?"

"I think Connor picked it up," Quinn said blowing a puff of smoke, "I was too dazed to pay attention, so I'm not sure."

"After Connor's warning, did Robbie bother you anymore?"

A chuckle came from Quinn, "With the boys escorting me everywhere I don't know if he showed his face again."

Duffy sat back in his chair, knowing what he had to ask her next. Saint Patrick's Day; that day changed so many lives, Quinn's more so than ever. It's what led her to be in this room with him just hours after a brutal beating. He didn't know if he could take anymore, let alone ask her anymore questions. "Let's take a break for a bit."

The red head looked at him with resolve, "I'd rather not detective. If we take a break, I'll fall asleep and if I fall asleep…" she trailed off into a mumble. Before Duffy had time to say anything the door swung open and in walked Special Agent Paul Smecker.


	7. I'm All In

**Author's Note -** My thanks to the readers and reviewers once again, you all are awesome and I don't know if you hear that enough. What I'm trying to do with this is stay true to the story but try to come at it a different way. I think I'm doing that successfully so far and I hope that I can keep it up, it's actually quite difficult to come up with a fresh idea when there are so many stories already written. I hope you all enjoy these chapters, please read and review, thank you!

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Quinn sat straight up when the man from the FBI sauntered in. He commanded a room, enough swagger to make a peacock jealous. His lean body and sharp features made him stand out as the authority figure. The lines on his face were battle scars; he earned his respect and place in the FBI. Those blue eyes held depths of stories unfathomable to most. His wavy shoulder length tawny hair was probably the most whimsical thing about him. Even his voice had scars to it, years of screaming and smoking had taken a toll, but in a weird way he was better for all the damage done. He gave a quick smile to Quinn; they had met briefly after the twins had turned themselves in after St Patty's Day. She liked him. Not the typical Boston cop, not just being a gay man, he was smart, really smart. Street and book smart, reminded her of her father somewhat; powerful and in charge.

"I'll take over Duffy," he said quietly but the power was still in his voice. Duffy nodded, took his notepad threw a look at Quinn, almost pleading with her to stop for a bit, even if it was just ten minutes. "Do you feel as bad as you look?"

"Worse," she said as she put out the second cigarette.

"Hopefully this won't take longer than needed. I'm assuming from the puppy dog look he was about to ask you about Saint Patrick's Day."

She nodded, "Where are they Agent Smecker," her voice was quiet, almost meek and she averted her eyes from him.

"They're safe and recovering," he lit a cigarette and stopped the tape player, "You'll see them soon."

Quinn's head snapped up, her eyes searching the distinguished man and then a memory hit her like a lightening bolt. "You were the woman I saw in the house," her voice full of surprise but hushed, she knew better than to scream it.

He nodded, "We need to act fast. I can trust you, can't I Quinn?"

The statement hit her hard; Connor had asked her that very thing after the incident at Copley Plaza.

The phone rang, piercing the silence. Quinn rolled over, the sleep still in her eyes and answered the shrill object, "Hello," her voice was hard and rough. She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on the clock, 3:30. It was still dark outside, holy hell; it was 3:30 in the damn morning. Someone better be dead or close to dead.

"Hey love," a smooth Irish accent flowed through the phone and into her brain.

"Connor," she asked, still groggy.

"Yeah," he paused for a minute, "I need to tell you somethin'. I can trust you, can't I Quinn?"

"Of course you can trust me, with anything." The ginger waited for a response but only heard mumbling, she could make out Murphy, but wasn't all that sure who the third voice was. She waited for a few more minutes, "Connor?"

He came back to the phone, "Stay put, I'll come to you."

She hung up the phone, begrudgingly got out of bed, pulled on her gray sweatpants that had seen better days, the elastic had nearly given up, the bottom hems were shredded, and there was a bleach stain on left knee. Combined it with a black wife beater and threw the fuzzy gray blanket from the end of the bed around her shoulders. Shuffling into the kitchen she found the coffee pot and managed to brew a pot. Quinn was useless in the morning, much more of a night owl. She stretched and yawned more than a few times and decided now would be as good a time as any to sketch still life.

She grabbed her pad and charcoal, flipped on her living room light, shielded her eyes from the evil of the bright until they got adjusted, then flopped down on the couch and stared hatefully at the bowl of fruit on her coffee table. Professor Hunt, loved her sketches of people, but he wanted her to bring that life to something less interesting. Or as he put it, make the ordinary extravagant. How the hell was Quinn supposed to make an apple extravagant? She pondered the question when a key scraped the deadbolt missing it a few times before hitting its mark. She smiled put her supplies down and went to unhitch the chain.

She stopped just short of the door, a tad wary, "Connor?"

"Yeah it's me Q," he called. A sigh of relief escaped her as she undid the lock. He embraced her, holding her like he hadn't seen her in years and then kissed her the same way.

He pulled away and he looked calm but frazzled, "What happened?"

He sighed, closed and locked the door, "Come sit with me," he led her to the couch. "I can trust you, can't I Quinn?"

"Connor you know you can. What's going on? You're starting to scare me," she explored his face but couldn't get a good read on him.

He took her hands, "Sorry Q, it's still a lot for me to take in." He took a deep breath, opened his mouth to speak when the coffee pot signaled it was finished. The mechanical beep sounded like a trumpet in the quiet apartment. The Irishman's head found the sound and looked toward the kitchen. He moved to get up when she held him to where he was.

"Oh no, my love for caffeine is not an excuse," Quinn said sharply.

He smirked a bit, Quinn turning down coffee, that was an event in itself, but it strangely put him at ease, "Remember the Russians?"

"How could I forget, they nearly killed you."

"Well, when Murph and I rolled 'em one of them had a pager. It went off and it led us to the Copley Plaza, where there was a meetin' of Russian mobsters."

Connor was being hesitant with his words, very unlike him. Words normally flowed out of this man like music on the radio. She looked at him sternly, "Get to it MacManus."

He smirked again and then sighed, "We killed 'em," he waited for her response.

She shook her head and closed her eyes, "Wait? What?"

"When we stayed in the holding cell, we got a callin'," he tried to explain, "To hunt down and kill evil men," he paused.

Her beautiful face was twisted with disbelief, she had seen him nearly beat Robbie to death and the way those two handled the three ginormous Russians in the bar the other night, she shook her head trying to make sense of it. "What…" she started, shook her head again, "No, just what?" She got up from the couch and paced a bit mumbling to herself. Racking her mind as to how to process this, she stopped and stared at him. How could this be Connor MacManus, the funny and charming man she fell in love with. He was gentle and kind, not a killer. And Murphy; the occasional bar brawl aside, he was like a kid. She couldn't or wouldn't picture them taking a human life, even if it was that of someone evil. What did that even mean? What definition were they using? Were there varying degrees? Pickpockets got a chance at redemption, but a wife beater dies? She sat down on the floor fast and hurt her tail bone and cried.

Connor met her on the floor, took her hands in his. There was that calming touch he magically had. Her breathing evened out but tears still made tracks down her face, eyes red and burning. He then moved a hand to her face, she felt the rough, calloused skin across her cheek and instinct took over as she closed her eyes nuzzling into the palm of his hand. The smell of his skin calmed her further, it was familiar and safe. That's when her eyes opened, safe? How could she be safe with him ever again? Even if she agreed to be ok with whatever he was asking her, what about retaliation? Was anyone they knew safe? She cried harder and leaned forward into him. The Irishman rubbed her back and stroked her hair, trying to calm her enough to talk with her more about what happened.

"Quinn," he started his voice a whisper but there was a rough edge to it. She looked up at him, sniffling. "The last thing I want is to scare you," he paused trying to find words, "But this is somethin' that feels right. It's hard to explain," he held her face looking into her eyes, "I'm not askin' you to be okay with it, I'm askin' you to accept it. Can ya?"

A blank expression took hold of her. A million words threatened to pour out of her mouth all at once. Quinn closed her eyes and tried to get her hitching breaths under control, "If you're asking me to accept it now, I can't. I need time to process this, it's just too crazy," she shook her head.

The lilting smoke that invaded her nose pulled her back to the present and the probing eyes of Paul Smecker, still waiting for her answer. "Quinn, I lose you there?"

"Only for a moment," she tried to smile and then looked him straight in the face, "Yes, you can, wholeheartedly."


	8. Chokehold

"Good, now Duffy will come back in here and continue to get your statement. I'll be back afterwards to fill you in. Is there anything you want me to tell them?"

She looked at him, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks again, "They know, but tell them I'm sorry and that I love them."

Agent Smecker nodded and doused his cigarette then brought back Duffy after a moment. The detective came back and had a different look on his face. He sat back down and winked at Quinn. She raised an eyebrow at him; he put a finger to his lips then looked at the tape recorder. "We're gonna help them," he said quietly. Shock took over as the red head's mouth hung open; Duffy smiled and then answered her unspoken question, "Smecker will fill you in," he told her, then sat back down in his chair and pressed record again. "So, we know what happened on St. Patrick's Day, we still have the MacManus brothers' statement and yours, so we'll skip over that. You weren't there for the Copley Plaza incident?"

She shook her head, "Didn't know about it until Connor told me, I can't even tell you how many were there in the room."

"What about the shooting at the Lakeview or the Sin Bin?"

"No, I didn't see the boys or Rocco until they broke into my apartment. I wasn't home, I was at school. I came home to an impeccably clean kitchen and the three of them smoking around my little dining table." Holding two bags of groceries and fumbling with her keys, Quinn was making a bit of a racket. When she finally unlocked the door she saw two guns pointed at her from the kitchen and one blank faced Italian. She dropped her keys and the bags, thanking God she hadn't bought eggs, and screamed. The sight of Connor, Murphy and Rocco bandaged up with firearms was more than a little out of the ordinary. "Is someone gonna tell me what the fuck is going on?"

The boys had put their weapons down as soon they saw who walked through the door. Connor got up and tried to hold her but she moved away. He shot a look to Murphy and led Quinn into her bedroom. "Didn't think you'd be home to today," he started almost sheepishly.

"And that makes it ok," her voice harsh but keeping it quiet, the walls in her apartment were incredibly thin when they wanted to be, "I told you I needed space to think all this vigilante shit over and two days later you come into my apartment and do God knows what. You didn't kill anyone here did you? No, don't tell me, I'm already in too deep. What the hell happened to you three?"

Connor smiled a bit, almost breaking into a laugh, "To put your mind at ease Q, no we didn't kill anyone here; what happened was an oversight," he said losing his levity.

"Are you ok," she asked and before he could answer, "No, obviously not, you've been fucking shot and Murph and Rocco. Connor don't you see how dangerous this is? Not just for you three but for those that know you? What happens when these…"

He cut her off with his lips on hers, she tried to fight him but he kept their mouths locked. The questions she had were valid and he had no good answers for them. All he could think about was Quinn the entire time, how she cried in his arms, how shocked she was when he told her what happened. But she hadn't told anyone, and that told Connor two things, she could be trusted and she loved him just as much as he loved her.

Quinn finally stopped trying to push him off and just let him envelop her; she was only fighting so she could yell at him. It was moments later that their clothes were strewn about on the floor and Connor inside her; both of them furiously trying to keep quiet. The rhythmic motion of his hips pushing him further and further inside made her breaths short and catching. She scratched his back leaving long red welts, almost drawing blood. Quinn rolled him over and ground her hips into him. Both of them panting and sweating heavily. The sweat pooled onto Connor's stomach and gathered into the areas between his muscles. They interlocked their fingers as Quinn came, she bucked her hips harder and Connor followed quickly. Their hands gripped each other tightly that the tips of their fingers were white. The intensity subsided quickly and she collapsed onto his chest, both of them breathing harsh and ragged. It was a few moments before she rolled off of him, her hair soaked and her skin damp. Her body shaking slightly as the aftershocks hit her. There was no time in the seconds after breathing had slowed and staring at one another for words. They slept.

Connor had woken up first, showered and just looked at her sleeping. He moved the hair stuck to her face to where is should be and studied her. If there was anything he could do to keep her from getting hurt, he would do it, even if it meant leaving her behind. He shook the thought from his head. Quinn roused and the lighter haired twin moved from his perch on the dresser to the bed at her side. Then unexpectedly she threw her arms around his neck and clung to his bare chest. He returned her embrace and she started to cry again, "Hey, hey, shhh," he tried to soothe her. "I know that there isn't a lot that can assure you of the future, but trust one thing love; we know what we're doing," he whispered. "Can you do somethin' for me," she nodded against his chest, "Don't go anywhere unnecessary for a few days."

"Are you leaving," she looked into his eyes.

"Tomorrow, early; we'll be back though. Thought we would stay here, but only if you're ok with that," he smiled.

"I am," she pushed away a bit to look at him and took a deep breath, "I need to get cleaned up," she kissed him lightly and got up, making her way to the bathroom. "Connor," she called as she got to the door, "I accept it."

Duffy had stopped writing, looking at her far off expression, "So," his mellow voice breaking the quiet, "You accepted that they were vigilantes?"

"Accepted yes, did it sit well with me, not the tiniest bit; how is someone supposed to be ok with the killing of others. However what happened next changed my mind," she looked at the bandages on her wrists then threw her eyes on Duffy. Reliving this was not something she wanted and from the look on the detective's face, he didn't want to ask; however protocol needed to be followed.

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**Author's note - **Thank you to all my readers, you guys are awesome. I'm still intrigued as to where my muse is taking me with this. I can see the end and that's probably why the words aren't flowing as quickly as they used to. I hope you all enjoy reading this next chapter! Please read and review, thank you!


	9. Into The Lion's Den

**Author's Note -** Thanks to all those that have been reading and making this one of your favorite stories, it makes me so happy that you like it enough for it to be a favorite. Sorry this took a minute to get finished, but I feel a resurgence and I hope more chapters will follow more quickly. Please read and review, I would love to know what you think of this story so far. Thank you in advance and enjoy!

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He paused long enough for her to light another cigarette and take a few sips of water. They stared at each other for a moment, "So the boys left early?"

She smiled a bit, beating around the bush, "Yeah, about 4:30 or so, believe it or not to go to church," she laughed a bit, "Could never tear those two away from mass."

"Ok, no putting it off any longer, how did you end up at Papa Joe's?"

She took a deep breath and blew it out audibly, "I did what Connor asked me, I didn't leave the house unnecessarily. I called Doc and he let me out of work, I decided to go to my parent's house until the all clear was sounded. It was four or five blocks away from my apartment that I was grabbed and threw into the back of a sedan. I was on the floor and this huge and really unfriendly looking Italian had a gun in my face, threatening to shoot me."

"Move, speak or even blink you're fuckin' dead," Geno told her. His voice was harsh and full of anger. The .45 he held at her was big, black and very intimidating. Quinn cowered on the floor almost fitting completely in the groove for the back seat passenger's feet. She wanted to cry, but fear overrode every sense and she was frozen. The drive felt like forever. When they stopped, Geno dragged her out and carried her in like a sack of potatoes.

Either Quinn knew it was a bad idea to fight or she was paralyzed from fear that left her limp over the Italian's shoulder. He threw her down with a thud and that's when her sense came back to her. Still petrified, she looked up from the hard floor covered in a throw rug to see three out of shape mobsters staring at her. She found some courage to speak, "W-w-what do y-y-you want with m-m-me?"

Another man came from out of her peripheral vision; he was tall, bald with olive skin. He had on a light blue button down, sleeves rolled to the elbow with tan slacks held up with suspenders. His face would have been kind if she hadn't been so frightened. "What we want," his voice was deep and powerful with a thick Italian accent, "Is for you to tell us what Rocco is planning to do."

She stared at the man, eyes wide in disbelief and the shock and absurdity of his statement was so overwhelming she started laughing. The Mobsters all shared looks of confusion, looking at one another and then to this mad girl on the floor. The bald man nodded to Geno and he smacked Quinn across the face so hard that not only did she stop laughing she was also knocked to her left side. Sobs of pain took over the silence as she slowly rolled over to face the men again. She glared at them, her hatred started to rise under her skin. That's when she said the bravest and stupidest thing she ever would, "Do whatever you want to me, I won't ever talk," she sounded angry and indignant, almost taunting them to touch her again. Their faces all melted to resemble Robbie.

The bald man gave a smile, almost a laugh as he turned to Geno, "Geno, you guys, make her talk," he walked away.

The three men left all shared the same depraved smile. Then a guy with sunglasses spoke, "Well you heard her boys, we can do whatever we want. Personally, I want to beat the red off that hair." He grabbed Quinn by her hair and dragged her down the hall to a storage room. She tried fight, clawing at his hands trying to wiggle around to kick him; but he was too strong for her. Once in the room he locked the door behind him and smirked at her, "Don't want to be disturbed," his casual voice is what scared her more than anything, it chilled her to the bone. He walked around her like a lion stalking prey as she sat on the gray stone floor, too fearful to move. The Italian was quiet for a few moments, only his footsteps echoing in the room, and then his voice filled the silence, "What to do with you? What would make them cringe after the fact," his words were thoughtful as he spoke. Then he casually walked to the large wooden set of shelves on the left side of the room. He grabbed some rope and a chair from the old dining set in the corner.

Quinn tried to scramble away but he grabbed the collar of her shirt. Once he grabbed her something overtook her motor functions and she got in two good kicks to his stomach. He let her go as he doubled over in pain and cried out. A few seconds later the door opened and Geno and the other guy entered to room, "Chappy, what the fuck happened?"

Chappy looked at Geno almost dumbstruck, "Never mind what the fuck happened, grab the bitch!" Geno and the other guy, who was younger and a bit thinner, cornered her and held her in place. Chappy walked up to her slowly, "That's the last fuckin' time you're ever gonna run sweetheart," he growled at her. Sunglasses left and then came back with two sets of handcuffs. Geno and the youngster wrestled Quinn into the chair while Chappy handcuffed her tightly to it and she winced in pain. "I'm gonna fuckin' bleed you slow girly. Make them wish they never fucked with us," he spoke right into her ear. His breath was hot and foul, his teeth were clenched and she could hear them grinding as he spoke. He turned to Geno and the other guy, "Get the fuck out of here. I'll call you when it's your turn, this is personal now," he took off his sunglasses and stared at her with a lust in his dark eyes. Quinn tried to scream but he shoved a rag into her mouth. "See doll, I was just gonna rape and beat you, maybe scar your face up a bit, but now, oh no that's too good for a hell cat like you. I'm gonna take my time, like that water torture the chinks have. I'm gonna make you beg to end it, but I won't be so fucking nice, you cunt." He grinned and took out a switchblade and ran the blade down her face and she started to cry. "That's it baby, I like when they cry," Chappy mused at her, "You know sweetheart if you behave and let me work, I might go easy on ya."

After that he stopped talking to her, and she thanked God for that small miracle, his dialogue was scarier than the knife he used to slice open her shirt making shallow but painful cuts along her ribs. He concentrated on keeping the damage to the surface area of her skin to a minimum and keeping the psychological hold on her deep. After about 45 minutes of finding places to cut her he stopped and left her alone. Quinn hung her head in despair, scolding herself, "Why did you say that you dumbass? Now you choose to be brave, you deserve whatever's coming your way."

Duffy stared at her not knowing there were hundreds of fresh cuts on the girl's torso. Quinn had stopped talking a while ago, leaving the Bostonian to absorb the information. He hadn't realized that his mouth was gaping open when she looked back at him. When his hazel eyes caught her green ones he snapped back, "Need a break?"

She sighed, "That might actually be a good idea."


	10. Tear You Apart

**Author's Note -** I figured out I'm gonna end this, and it took my by surprise. Not done by a long shot, so more will be coming and soon. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, you guys rock my socks! Please read and review, still very interested what you all think of this story. Thanks again!

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She started to get up and follow Duffy, but her legs didn't want to move and she grabbed the table for support. Duffy hurried to help her out and they both limped out of the interview room. The detective handed her off to a female officer to help her to the restroom.

Duffy walked over to his conspirators, Greenly and Dolly. He stretched his arms and rolled his neck, "Poor kid," he said to the other two.

"Are ya done," Dolly asked running his hand through his thick black hair. His accented voice was a little on edge, probably waiting for Duffy to finish so the next part of the plan could start.

"Not even close. She just started telling me what happened at Papa Joe's. She was there for a couple of days. She's tough, hanging in there. Any news," Duffy asked.

"Nothin' yet, don't even know where they are. Do you need one of us to take over," Greenly piped up.

Duffy thought for a minute and shook his head, "Nah, but thanks Green Beans, should probably finish. Taking a break, she needs it," he looked at Quinn talking with the female officer, he thought her name was Regan, but unsure. He saw Quinn smile; it was a genuine one, which was an improvement. "Hey Q," he called and waved her over.

The officer helped her over, still having trouble walking, "Ready for more?"

Duffy shook his head, "Not just yet," he nodded to Regan; he had remembered her name, "Thanks I'll take it from here." The brunette nodded and left the four of them. "We don't have any news yet," he said in a hushed tone as he helped support Quinn.

"Well, no news is good news," she said hopefully. The other two detectives were looking at her with these pitiful looks. Trying to come up with some platitude, as if mere words could make the broken bones heal and the bruises disappear. All she wanted to know is that her boys were ok. She tried to stand on her own but lost her balance again, her left ankle wouldn't hold her weight. She fell into Duffy and he scrambled to keep her up right. She had her face buried into his button down and got a whiff of the same subtle cologne Connor was fond of wearing for special occasions. That brought back hundreds of memories of the two of them together, at the bar, alone, at the poker games accusing her of cheating because she was too good. It made her let out a weird laugh/sob as she looked into the detective's eyes and he understood without a word.

Duffy pulled her upright again, "Its ok Quinn," he tried to soothe her; "You guys hear anything let me know immediately." He took her back to the interview room for the next session. He helped her sit back down in the metal chair and she took up a cigarette before Duffy sat down.

"Don't suppose I could get a shot of something," she smiled.

Duffy smiled, "Only if I can. You sure you're ready?"

Quinn nodded, "Let's just get it over with."

Duffy took out his book again and then hit record, "So Chappy left you alone in the room. Did the other two guys come in?"

"Not until he said so. I don't know how long he left me alone, but he woke me up with a huge glass of water in my face."

Quinn had finally fallen asleep then a cold and wet wave followed by a splash interrupted her dreams and pulled her into a nightmare. She gasped, swallowing some of the water and then coughing. "Didn't think I forgot about you did ya," he taunted. Chappy almost sauntered up to her, "Did you have enough yesterday?" Quinn just looked at him, no fight in her eyes, no fire, just pain. He had put salt in the water and it was now seeping into the still open cuts on her midsection. Chappy laughed a horrible chuckle and kicked the chair over. Quinn landed with a thud on the side of her head and tears fell from her eyes but she made no sound, still. "Good you're learning," he knelt down next to her and whispered, "I will break you." He stood and kicked her square in the face breaking her nose. "I think I'll let the others have some fun with you. Unless you want to talk," he added.

Quinn knew better, they'd beat her and eventually kill her even if she did betray the boys. So why not go out strong. Blood now joining with her tears on the floor in a small puddle as she looked at Chappy and the sadistic grin plastered on his face and shook her head, he then kicked her in the ribs a few times before leaving. That's when Geno entered the room.

Big and dumb were the only words that came to Quinn's mind when she looked at him through blurry vision. He wasn't as violent as Chappy, but he got some good licks on her, worked on her ribs to, keeping the cuts open. He more than once felt her chest and he inspected Chappy's work. Not the wordsmith Chappy was, he kept quiet as he pummeled her. He grabbed her left breast and when Quinn instinctively tried to pull away is when he punched her square in the eye.

"You don't know how good you got it. You keep me happy, I'll keep them from hurtin' you anymore," he almost sounded apologetic. He looked at her and the lust in his eyes grew bigger than the bulge in his pants. He grabbed himself and just held his package thoughtfully as if trying to figure out if he wanted to take her now or leave it for later. He bit his lip and moaned a bit, "You gonna play nice baby?" Quinn nodded through her tears, trying to come up with an escape plan. It all hindered on how dumb and horny Geno really was. He pulled the rag away from her mouth, "How bout you take care of me and I'll take care of you," he said putting on his best Casanova and his eyes got wide and smiled at the bound girl. He undid his pants and that's when she kicked him right where his thighs met his knees. The chair flung backwards and she hit her head again, but she'd take a concussion over sucking his dick. Geno screamed and the other two came in.

"What the fuck Geno," the younger one questioned as he took in the scene of Quinn crying on the floor and Geno on his knees with his pants around his ankles.

"Leave her to me," Chappy said smiling. The other two left without another word. "See, that was the wrong thing to do. Now nice is no longer in my vocabulary. A special treat is needed for you, all that fire and cunning. Need to break you some more," he took out his knife and again making more of the same shallow cuts, but deeper this time. She was bleeding a lot more, every now and then he'd stop and either slap her face or punch her in the stomach. This unapologetic Italian worked on her as she screamed in his ear. The fight in her wouldn't die, even though she wanted it to, just so this would stop. She almost screamed out Connor's name once but bit her tongue. "Come on, cunt scream louder," he said sadistically licking the blood off the knife. Just as he was gonna start on her neck the door flung open.

"Boss needs you, leave her, we got 'em," Geno said, then left.

Quinn's eyes widened and inadvertently whispered, "Oh, God, Connor."

Chappy turned to her, "Connor, is that the fuck's name? I'll make sure to tell him what a good girl you were for me," he knocked over the chair and she landed with a thud again, "Don't worry babe, I'll be back to finish the job," he said sweetly and kicked her hard in the shoulder dislocating it. Quinn screamed against the pain again.

Quinn stopped and for the first time that day broke down completely, she couldn't take it anymore. She was exhausted and in pain and wanted to see the boys more than anything. Duffy got up and put his arms around her and let her cry. He knew she needed to; there were no comforting words that came to mind. He just held this broken and abused 20 something as she soaked his shirt through with her tears.


	11. About Time

**Author's Note -** Thanks a million to all my readers and reviewers. This has become my highest read story and that makes me so wonderfully happy, you all are tremendously awesome! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Please read and review, thank you all so much!

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There was silence for about 15 minutes, other than Quinn's haggard breathing; you could have heard a pin drop. Duffy finally found his words, "You wanna stop for a while more?" She nodded into his chest, no sound escaping her mouth. "Ok, I'm gonna go get Greenly, but I'll be right back, I promise." He let her go gently and left her sobbing on the table. Shaking his head as he left the interview room, "Green Beans," he called.

Greenly turned around and nodded, "That was quick."

"No, she finally broke down," he said taking off his tear soaked shirt and putting on the emergency shirt he kept in his desk, "Can you get her something to eat and some better coffee or something? We're gonna stop for a while and she hasn't eaten all day."

"Yeah, you want something?"

"Just grab me the usual," he said turning back to the room. He went right back to Quinn, arms around her, "We've got food coming, but here's some water if you need it," he took off the cap and gave it to her. She took a big swig and caught her breath for a minute but then continued crying. A little unsure of where to put his hands now that she was lying on the table, he settled for her thigh, right above her knee.

Quinn wasn't startled by the touch of the detective; she sat up sniffling and wiping the flow of tears from her now almost glowing green eyes, the tears has made them brighter. She was about to say something when Dolly opened the door, "There's someone here to see you sweetheart," he said. Quinn's eyes lit up at the thought of Connor or Murphy, but her dad entered the room hurriedly in his uniform. He must have come directly from the base. He stared at his baby girl and horror overtook decorum and he put his arms around her and he sobbed along with his daughter. Duffy left the room quietly.

"Bee, what happened? Who did this to you?"

"I'm not sure what happened Daddy," she looked him in the eye, "As for who, they're dead."

"Dead," his voice was quiet, "What about Connor and Murphy," he asked.

"They're alive, but I don't know where they are," she started to cry again.

"Are you done here?"

"Almost, last part of my statement isn't finished. After that I don't know if they'll let me go home. Where's Mom?"

"Home, worried sick, let me talk to the detectives and see if we can get you home."

She grabbed his arm to stop him, "I have to see this through," she said with determination.

Her father turned and looked at her face, tough as nails this kid, he smiled, "Ok, Quinn. I'll go home and let your mother know. Call me when you're done and I can pick you up," he kissed her head lightly, "I'm proud of you, Bee."

She threw her arms around him, "Thanks Daddy, I love you."

"Love you," he left and brought Duffy back in.

"You leavin' me," he smiled.

"Not just yet, detective. You ready for the final act?"

"I am if you are," he took his seat and flipped open the notepad again.

Quinn lit a cigarette, inhaling and then started talking; smoke pouring out of her mouth, "Chappy left me to go help the others with the boys."

"When you say boys?"

"I mean Connor and Murphy MacManus and David Della Rocco. I was left in that room again and I don't know how long but I was smacked awake."

Geno smacked her so hard the chair wobbled and she screamed. His meaty hands grabbed the chair to steady her, and then pressed his body up against her unlocked the handcuffs to the chair and handcuffed her hand together. He stood her up but she promptly feel down, being tied to a chair for who knows how long made her legs jelly. She landed on her left ankle wrong and sprained, possibly broke it. He grabbed her by the handcuffs and dragged her screaming to where the twins and Rocco were being held. She was in so much pain from her shoulder down it was almost too much to bear. The other mobsters laughed and chuckled at her being dragged the cuffs digging in and ripping the soft skin of her wrists. Blood was trickling down her arms which added to the trail being left by the open cuts on her torso and her broken nose. Geno dragged her into the garage and the boys started calling her name but she was in too much pain to recognize their voices. Once Geno had dropped her the bald guy walked into the room with a gun.

He knelt down to Quinn and took her chin in his hand, "Ah, bambina, see your friends have come to save you," he mocked. The boys continued to scream and kick harder to try and escape their bonds to no avail. The Italian slapped the girl, "You should be awake for this," he stood and Chappy dragged her to kneeling position. Quinn heard the click of the hammer on the revolver and that's when she focused, the bald man was going to kill someone. He walked up to Rocco, no more than five feet in front of him and shot him point blank in the chest and then casually walked out, nothing was said and there was no emotion in his face. Chappy threw her down as she started to scream Rocco's name along with the boys and did her best to make her way over to him.

As she looked at Rocco, blood pouring out of the hole in his chest and mouth, he was trying to say something. There were two things that she witnessed in that room she had never seen before Connor and Murphy cried and someone died. She had been to funerals before but never witnessed someone die. He sputtered, "Don't…stop…don't…ever stop," and then he was silent. His eyes lost the light he always had. He was just still, nothing, lying in a pool of warm and sticky blood just not alive. Then the boys wailed, tears streaming down their face clearing a path through the dirt and blood on their own faces.

Chappy came in and grinned, "She tell you what a good girl she was for me? How she begged, cried and screamed? She's got the sweetest scream, such a shame we have to put her down. Didn't even get to do half of what I wanted. Oh, well, there's still you two," he grabbed Quinn by the cuffs and she shrieked high and loud and finally passed out from the pain in her shoulder and the vicious man laughed, "I'll be back for you two soon," he left dragging Quinn behind him and into the sitting room with the other guys.

Quinn gained enough consciousness to hear mumbles of conversation but she kept going in and out. The last thing she remembered before waking up in the hospital was a woman Geno was leading upstairs.

"So that's it, you woke up in the hospital?"

"Yeah, the last thing I remember was that woman being led upstairs and then waking up in a hospital bed. Having no idea how I got there or where I was. Retelling it, I'm pretty sure the MacManus boys brought me there and then called you fellas," she smiled at Duffy and extinguished her cigarette.


	12. Never The Same

**Author's Note -** Thanks to all my readers, I am overwhelmed with the response I've gotten from this story. Enjoy this next chapter, please read and review! Thanks again, you guys rock!

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"Well Ms. Cavanaugh, we have your statement. Do you think you'll be up for testifying?"

She looked at Duffy, "There's not much more they can do to me, count me in." Duffy turned the tape player off and stood, "Duffy," she called and he turned his gaze to her, "Call me as soon as you hear from them."

"Of course, now call your dad and get out of here," he said helping her up and walked her to his desk where she made the call. Duffy sat across from her, kind of in awe how this 22 year old could muster all this courage and have the balls to testify against Papa Joe. Hopefully they thought she was dead.

"Huh," she said like she just noticed something, "Your eyes are green, not hazel like I thought. Must not have been focusing," she smiled while hanging up the receiver. Quinn studied his face for a moment, he kind of reminded her a little of a young Orson Welles. "So is Duffy like a first name or last name or both; like Cher or Madonna?"

He laughed, "Last name, smartass, first name's Brendan," he smiled.

"Well thank you Brendan for everything."

"Didn't do much just my job," he said.

"You still deserve thanks. I don't know if I could have kept it together as long as I did if you weren't so...you," she tried to explain, but failed a bit.

He winked at her, "You did good, kid. Greenly should be back with food soon if you want to eat while you wait."

"Sounds like a good idea," she said and they waited in silence for about half a minute, "You don't happen to have a blank notepad and a spare pencil around do ya?" Duffy smiled and handed her an 8.5 x 11 note pad with yellow paper and a pencil. She stared at him for a minute while his head was down reading his notes and then typing them up, trying to get a feel for his face. The expressions he used, the wrinkles by his eyes, in his forehead and around his mouth. The cleft in his chin and the eyes, those kind and tender eyes that helped her through the trauma to the other side; a smile crossed her face as she started the outline. Getting his spiky hair just right, it was the perfect amount of messy. The age in his young face, probably from being a homicide detective for years, still there was freshness. His mouth was near perfect, and he almost had the same divot, making an 'M' on his top lip.

Greenly came back with the food from the corner deli while she sketched and he and Duffy talked to Dolly while they ate. She put the finishing touches on her drawing, sucking down the insanely good coffee; she used all the creamers while the guys weren't looking. After finishing half of the giant turkey sandwich, her dad came and got her. He walked in with Agent Smecker and they seemed to be chatting a bit. Something in the way they were talking made Quinn remember why she was at the station to begin with. The FBI agent and her father, still in uniform, walked closer and the three men quieted their conversation.

"You ready Bee?"

"Bee," Greenly asked about the peculiar nickname.

"Queen Bee, have been since I was a toddler," she smiled at him. "Yeah Dad, I'm ready. No offense gentlemen but I hope to never see you again." They laughed a bit and nodded in agreement. Quinn went up to Duffy and hugged him, he was reluctant to return it; afraid of hurting her, "It's ok, you can hug me," she whispered and he gently wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you again for everything, Brendan," and she kissed his cheek, leaving the sketch of him on his desk.

Quinn and her father turned to leave when Smecker called to her, "Quinn, may I speak with you for a minute?"

She turned to her dad, "I'll be right back," before she tried to walk to Paul on her bad ankle, Duffy was at her side and helped her over. "You keep it up, I'm taking you home," she smiled as he helped her into the chair.

Paul smiled, "Now that you lived through the past, the future is ahead. What we're hoping is that Papa Joe thinks you're dead, so he won't come after you, so lay low. We'll have a detail on you and your family through the trial. You are testifying," he paused and she nodded, "Good, you are definitely a brave one, I can see what he sees in you," he winked and then continued, "I'll have them call you tonight, but you can't see them for a while. I'll personally come and get you if we need you. I'm not sure if you or they want you to be part of what's going to happen. I'll explain when we aren't in mixed company," he smiled at her bewildered face, "I'm proud of you and you should be too. Now go home, you've been here too long already." Smecker helped her up and to her father and they walked out of the station. The man from the FBI picked up the folded sketch on Duffy's desk and examined it thoroughly, "Talented girl, huh Duffy," he handed the paper to the detective.


	13. First Contact

**Author's Note -** Thanks to all my readers and those who added alerts, it's been quite surprising to see those numbers keep climbing. Your Kung Fu is truly great! Please enjoy this next chapter, and review, please. Thank you all in advance!

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Quinn and her father were followed home by an unmarked Crown Victoria which parked down the street far enough away to not cause suspicion but close enough to the her family wouldn't have to wait for response. There were two shifts, plain clothed officers attracting little to no attention. When Quinn walked into the house her mother screamed and ran to hold her but hesitated not knowing the extent of her injuries.

"Oh my God, Quinn; how, what, who," her mother sputtered out the words trying to gauge how hurt her baby was.

"Amanda, calm down, I'll fill you in," he took his hysterical wife into the kitchen and made some tea.

Quinn took the opportunity to get cleaned up; she didn't remember how long it was since she had a nice hot shower. She hobbled her way to the linen closet as best she could and grabbed a clean towel and went into the hall bathroom and turned on the hot water. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, using the sink for stability. Her face was a far cry to the pretty girl she used to be. Nose in a brace to set it correctly, a huge purple and yellowish bruise surrounding the left side of her face. Dried blood everywhere and her left arm in a sling; the wife beater she was wearing was definitely from a MacManus, not sure which one at this point. The sling posed a problem, but she maneuvered out of it with only a moderate amount of pain from her ribs and shoulder. The tank she slowly pulled out her left arm and then over her head. She saw her cuts for the first time, too many tiny white butterfly bandages to count across her midsection. She could see the dark black lesion that started under her bra and continued almost to her hip.

Quinn stared at herself, scrutinizing every little cut, mark and bruise. She laughed a bit, "This almost doesn't seem real." She successfully undressed herself and slowly got her body used to the hot water trying to keep her weight off her ankle. She washed her hair, which was greasy beyond belief and she watched dirt and blood run into the drain mixed with soap bubbles. The hot water energized her a bit and made her feel safe, she was home. She sat down on the toilet and toweled off and tried to get dressed but ran into some difficulty, "Quinn remember never to dislocate your shoulder again, bras are not your friend," after ten minutes of struggling, "Rome! Mom! Can I get some help?"

Her mom, now composed a bit, knocked on the door, "I'm here Q, let me in."

Quinn opened the door, "Thanks, mom, but please don't freak out when you see me. It's bad," she pleaded.

"I'll try," Amanda said and walked in, mouth hanging open at the damage just on the surface, she composed herself as best she could and helped Quinn get dressed. They managed to put on her bra and shirt with minimal wincing, the rest was pretty easy. "We're gonna have to get you some crutches hun," her mom told her as she helped Quinn up.

"Yeah I know, but can I just crash on the couch for now," she asked and her mom nodded and helped her to the couch. Her dad brought her the cordless phone, a pillow and blanket. And she slept for the first time since she was tied to a chair. Probably with the help of the painkillers she was prescribed but dreams eluded her and she didn't wake up until the phone rang. She answered groggily, "Hello?"

"Quinn?"

"Connor," she asked skeptically, still waking up and tried to sit up, but failed.

"Yeah, love, it's me. How ya holdin' up," his voice was like music again.

"I've had better days," she smiled, "What happened to you guys?"

"Long story," he paused and she could hear Murphy's voice and then the arguing began. "Just give me a fuckin' minute! Did Smecker fill you in on anything?"

"No, it was all cloak and dagger. Am I going to see you again?" He paused again and there was silence for a while. "Connor," she ventured.

"I'm not sure," she heard Murphy's voice again and then the phone changed hands.

"Hey Q," Murphy said, there was no more levity in his voice; he was really worried about her. "Nice to know you're still breathin'. Had us worried."

"Yeah, Murphy, I'm still breathing, but barely. Remind me to never get involved with Irish guys again. Y'all are fun, but the consequences are not," she played a bit and he gave a sympathetic chuckle.

"Yeah, you American broads are the same way," she heard a smack, "Jesus, Connor," Murphy yelled.

"Serves ya right; Yeah Q, you'll see us again. Soon," Connor promised and Quinn's heart fluttered a bit.

"Not soon enough," she said, "Are you gonna fill me in on what happened?"

He was quiet for a minute, she heard him mumbling to Murphy, "That might be best in person, not the kind of thing easily explained over the phone. Look, love, we can't talk long. Just wanted to know that you're at least gonna be ok. I'll call when I can, I love you Quinn."

"I love you too," she said, "But please don't leave me hanging for too long," she hung up and tears were in the corner of her eyes. Replaying their relationship in her head, why the hell did she accept what they were doing? Look where it got her, abducted, beaten, nearly killed and now she'd have to testify against the head of the Yakavetta crime family, Papa Joe himself. It's too much, too insane. "I'm smarter than this. At least I hope I am. Going from a guy who beat me to another one who kills 'evil' men for a living; ah, what the fuck Quinn," she thought to herself. "You're in way over your head girl. As much as you love him, he's a bit intense and more than a little crazy. You might have to cut your losses here. And what would Dad think if he knew the truth. He'd kill Connor and Murphy the minute he saw them for dragging you into this," it was if there were two sides arguing inside her head, "While all that's true, don't you feel safe with them? Hasn't Connor protected you time and again, treated you with a gentle touch? Yeah, but what kind of life is that? I'm 22, about to be 23 and I want to finish school, get married settle down and have kids. I don't think that's an option if I follow the MacManus path." She cried a bit more and let out a frustrated sigh, "Love is never as easy as it should be. Damn you MacManus," she said under her breath and fell back asleep.


	14. Falling Into Place

**Author's Note -** A million thanks to my readers, reviews and all those added this story to one of their alerts and gave it a favorite nod, you guys are awesome! I'm on a roll at the moment so while I can't promise a chapter a day, I can give you at least another this week. I would really love some feedback, so please take a minute to drop me a line and let me know how I'm doing, thank you in advance. Please enjoy this next chapter, please read and review!

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The next few days, Flynn and Rome got to hear about Quinn's injuries and the pieces that she remembered from the fractured tale she had first told Duffy. It was quiet after that, no phone calls from the boys, Smecker or the detectives. More than a few doctor's appointments to go to, following up on her ribs, nose, ankle and shoulder. She became friendly with the nurses and the old country doctor from Nebraska was very gentle and kind.

"Nice to see you stayed out of trouble for a few days," Dr. Klein started in on her reviewing her new X-Rays. His face was round which kept the age off it, and his white beard was trim and gripped in his left hand. The ring on his finger was a bit aged but well taken care of, he and his wife had been married for 50 years. It made Quinn smile to think there were people out there still so in love after so many years. She wondered if it would ever happen for her. She was still very young, but not so naïve to think that Connor was staying or going to drag her into his life of whatever it was. That inevitable day was coming, but she was still hoping it wouldn't be for a while. Still in love with him, but it seemed he was getting easier to let go with all this space between them. "Well you are on the mend," the doctor interrupted her thoughts, "That shoulder should be able to come out of the sling by the beginning of next month. Your ankle was just a bad sprain, just keep the pressure off and you should be good as new in a few more days, a week tops. Your ribs however are a different story, 2 months at the minimum. That's a painful and long road, try to keep the gymnastics to a minimum and it shouldn't be as bad," he said with a wink.

Quinn smiled, "Is there anything I can do help heal faster?"

"Unless you have some fairy dust young lady, no; but you are young so that means you're resilient," he patted her knee. "Your nose looks good, still not set but it should be another few weeks. Do you need a refill on the industrial strength pain killers?"

"Might be a good idea, I'm still in a lot of pain at night."

He started writing the scrip, "Your mom picking you up?"

"I believe so," she said looking at the pamphlets on the wall.

"She stopped crying yet?"

"No, but she's getting better. How's Margaret?"

"Beautiful, thank you for asking," he smiled and handed her the prescriptions, "Now get out of here and don't come back for a week, talk to Stacey and I'll see you soon. And be careful, huh?"

"I promise, thanks Dr. Klein," she said as he helped her off the table and opened the door for her.

Duffy was about to knock, "Well that was easy," he smiled.

The doctor gave her to the detective, "What are you doing here?"

"Need to go over your testimony with the D.A. already told your parents and Smecker will be there. How ya been doin'," he asked with a smile.

"Better, my nightmares are still there but if I take my Vicodin, I sleep like the dead. Not in as much pain, but I'm in for it with healing. At least two months for my ribs and after the sling comes off, I've got physical therapy to look forward to."

They reached the front desk and Stacey looked at the cute detective like he was desert, "When did he want to see you again hun?"

"A week from now," she said trying to keep a giggle from surfacing as the blue eyed nurse kept staring at Duffy. She nudged him slightly and whispered, "She's a sure thing if you're into it," a wicked smile crossed her face.

"Not my type, but thanks," he said back and took a better look at Stacey, a pretty girl, full figured, dirty blonde hair, but there was something dull about her. There would be little to no challenge with this girl, who now that he got a better look, was probably older than he was.

The nurse handed her the appointment card, "All set, next Tuesday at 10. Will your escort be with you," her flirting was terrible. She nervously played with her hair and almost laughed when no one said anything.

Duffy smiled, "You will probably see me again. I have a weekly appointment with her too."

"I look forward to it," her voice was shaking a bit. "Here are your crutches Quinn, doc's orders," she said as Quinn groaned.

"Fine, I'll be independent. Crush my hopes of being carried every where," she played; she was overjoyed at being able to walk or at least move of her own accord.

Duffy laughed, "Come on, let's get you downtown," he walked behind her as she hobbled along. She was pretty fast, all things considered. Glad she was doing better, she was now getting back that spark he saw when he first met her. He opened the door and helped her in, "With you in the car I get the best parking in town," he said sliding into the driver's seat. Quinn laughed a bit as he started the car and they began the drive to station. "Never got to thank you for the sketch, never thought I was that good looking."

"Connor said the same thing. You boys really need more self esteem."

"Ever thought about being a sketch artist? We could use someone who can actually draw down at the station," he cracked.

"Might have crossed my mind a few times during my ordeal," she said kind of absently, staring out the window at the all too familiar drive to the station. It was quiet for about ten minutes or so, "How long is this gonna take?"

"Depends, we've got you, a witness, and with your testimony we can fast track a trial. Not sure how fast it'll be though; we've been after Papa Joe for a long time. He's a slippery son of a bitch."

She nodded and flipped through the radio. Nothing but love songs and that made her feel worse, her stomach tightened. Shaking her head slightly as she shut off the radio, sat back in the seat and sighed heavily; "Does it ever get easier for you?"

"Depends on the case; this is one of a handful that we've had a cooperating witness and an alive one at that," he informed her as they pulled in, "As far as easy goes, sometimes the pieces are there, most times it's like putting a square peg into a round hole," he parked the car and helped her out. She headed for the elevator but Duffy stopped her, "Not so fast," he walked her over to an unmarked van and the door opened to reveal both MacManus brothers and a third man she had never seen before.


	15. Wide Awake

**Author's Note -** Thanks again to all who read and added my story to their alerts. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Please read and review, thanks!

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The shock of seeing Connor and Murphy sent tears streaming down her face and then she felt her knees give out and she swooned into Duffy's arms. The deft detective had the good sense to keep his grip on her as she became limp. The boys jumped out of the van and Duffy handed her to Connor, he laid her down on the floor of the vehicle and tried to rouse her. She came to in a matter of minutes and just stared at the boys with a stunned expression. There were a million and one thoughts running through her mind, but vocalizing even the smallest word was difficult. Nothing came out of her mouth, even though it was open. She could feel her mouth and throat get drier by the second. Connor smirked at her as he and Murphy helped her to a sitting position. The older man was standing next to Duffy and somehow Smecker appeared as well, she guessed that he was in the van but didn't see him before she passed out.

"Hey Q," Connor started and she almost melted at the smooth accent of his. He put his hands on her face and the warmth and the roughness of his hands on her cheeks made her smile a bit. The smell of smoke on his skin is what did her in, her eyes opened and there he was. Connor MacManus, still a bit battered from a few says ago, but damn him; charming, handsome and the smoothest talker you'd ever meet. He kissed her lightly on her lips, "I missed the hell out of you girl," he whispered into her lips and kissed her again.

Murphy cleared his throat, "We don't have a lot of time." Connor nodded and let Quinn go. As soon as he did Murphy hugged her lightly and kissed her head, "You ever scare me like that again…" he didn't finish the sentence.

She smiled and then noticed the older man was smiling at her. He was slightly taller than the boys, salt and pepper hair that hit his shoulders and a full beard. His eyes were thoughtful and they reminded her of Connor's. He walked over to her, Murphy let go of her and the older man outstretched his hand, "Pleased to meet you dear," his voice was soft and comforting, "Thank you for taking care of my boys," he smiled at her again as he inspected her face his hand under her chin and then kissed her forehead.

Quinn looked between the five men standing in front of her, eyes furiously going from one to the next and finally settling on Duffy, "Can someone please explain to me what the fuck is going on," her voice was strangely calm.

"Sorry Q," Connor started, "I have more strange news to tell ya. This is me Da," he motioned to the older man and he smiled at the confused girl again. "If we ever have a while I'll tell ya the whole story. Right now, we have to go, we're still wanted men. But I wanted to see ya," he moved closer to her, "Quinn," he held her face again, "I am so sorry I dragged you into this," his eyes were swimming and the green was standing out again.

She put her head to his, "I still love you MacManus, but it's gonna take me some time for me to comprehend; still reeling from pain killers. But I'm not sure I can handle healing, testifying and whatever it is you have planned," she looked at him; resolve clear in her green eyes.

He nodded, "I know love. I'm not askin' ya to, I'd only ever ask to go as far as ya feel ya could. You've already gone way past what I thought," his soft tone made her sad and his hands were firmly gripping her right hand. "Remember, I love ya, no matter what happens. Now, go on."

"Connor…"she started but he kissed her very passionately, their last kiss, she cried after his lips left hers. He helped her up and handed her to Smecker. Murphy hugged her goodbye and she cried harder. Paul helped her to the elevator leaving Duffy and the trio of Irishmen behind.

Connor looked the detective dead in the eye, "You take care of her," he almost ordered, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Duffy nodded, "You have my word, now get out of here," he told them as they hopped in the van and took off. The detective walked up the stairs, shaking his head, "Poor girl can't catch a break," he mumbled and just replaying everything he knew about her. She deserved so much more than this, or at least something stable. He opened the door to the station and found Quinn looking shattered again. He hated seeing her like that. Duffy hoped that he'd see her smile and laugh again. When Duffy got to the girl he put his arm around her, "Hey," he started softly, "I can't promise it'll be ok, but you'll get through it. You're a hell of a lot stronger than you think you are."

She looked at him, her eyes were red and bloodshot, she smiled the tiniest bit, "Thanks Brendan," she put her head on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's get this testimony meeting over with," he said helping her into the interview room where the D.A. was waiting. He was a little intimidating. His face was determined and hard, but he was very handsome, almost dashing. His hair was perfectly styled and his suit was a navy blue pinstripe and expertly tailored. It was almost a second skin. There was something unflappable about this man, Quinn suddenly felt intimidated and flustered. Then he smiled and she was almost immediately put at ease. The D.A. moved toward the pair and outstretched his hand and Quinn took it with little hesitation.

"Gabriel Christiansen, I'll take good care of you Quinn," he voice was deep and comforting, very confident. "You can leave now detective."

Quinn held onto Duffy, "If you don't mind, I'd like him to be here." Her grip suddenly tightening around his arm surprised Duffy a bit, but he didn't mind, he wanted to be with her while they went over her testimony. He wanted to see her through to the end, he nodded to her and gave a slight smile.

Gabriel nodded, "That's fine, and Agent Smecker would you like to start?"

Paul walked around the room and lit a cigarette, he had a copy of the Boston Globe in his hand and he tossed it on the table. The headline read: _**Local College Student Slain in Mob War**_, Quinn's eyes got wide as she read the caption under her broken and bloody picture, '_Quinn Cavanaugh, 22 (pictured above), was found dead and at Joseph 'Poppa Joe' Yakavetta's house early Saturday morning.'_

Paul smiled at her stunned expression, "This has been running in all the papers and we'll be leaking the story to the news later today. It's to keep you safe, if they think you're dead they'll never suspect we have a witness that can put Yakavetta away for good."

She looked between the three men, still in shock of seeing herself dead. Quinn took a deep breath, "What do I have to do?"


	16. Turning The Tide

**Author's Note -** A big thanks and shout out to all my followers, love you guys! Sorry this took me a minute to update, drama galore in the real world, but it's calmed down so I should be updated more often. Enjoy this next chapter, please read and review, would love some feedback! Thanks again! :-)

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Paul smiled, "Good girl. We need to drill this testimony in you; it will take a couple of months to bring this to trial. For the time being, you'll be at a safe house which only Gabriel, Duffy and I will know the location. No contact with anyone. We'll keep you safe Quinn, I promise," he turned to the DA, "Your turn."

"We're calling you as a surprise witness, the defense won't know about you until the trial starts. So keeping them in the dark will minimize the attacks on your character. Just stick to the truth, your relationship with the MacManus brothers, your employment, etc. We have the pictures of you when you came in and from the hospital, so that's evidence as well. This is just a preliminary meeting to introduce myself and explain our strategy and situation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me," he handed Quinn his business card, "From what Agent Smecker and Detective Duffy have told me about you, you'll be fine. I look forward to getting to know you and working with you," he flashed a very dashing smile, "Now, I'm sure the detective can get you settled at the safe house," he looked at Duffy who nodded. "Good," he helped Quinn stand, "Take care and I promise to try and make this go as quickly as possible."

She gave a weak smile, more waiting, that's all she seemed to do nowadays. She watched the handsome lawyer depart with Smecker and the déjà vu hit her. She was in the same interview room, still beat up and with Detective Duffy. She sighed and turned to him, "So you're my new roommate?" Duffy chuckled a bit and nodded. Quinn smiled a bit more, "Fine, but no girls, no parties and no eating my food," she said flatly and made her way out of the interview room on her crutch followed by Duffy snickering.

The Detective caught up with Quinn at the elevator, "I promise to be clean and quiet, no parties, the food will be catered by the Boston PD and the only girl I care about is you," while he meant what he said it came out all wrong.

Quinn stared at him, "The only girl you car about, for the moment," she asked praying he would say yes. The opposite sex was the furthest thing from her mind, especially after Connor left. Her wide eyes almost pleading with the young detective to retract his words; she bit her lip in the silence that only lasted a few seconds.

"Yes, the only girl I care about, for the moment," his voice was reassuring and he smiled, "Didn't mean to freak you out."

The red head let out the breath she'd been holding in, "You can just add it to the list of things gone wrong today, most of them took place in the past two hours," she rolled her eyes.

He laughed and gave a nod, putting an arm around her shoulders; the detective escorted her to his car. The drive was quiet; Quinn fell asleep, too much to process in such a short time. It was a good 30 minute nap when Duffy nudged her lightly, "We're here," he said softly and helped the red head out.

Quinn marveled at how ordinary the house looked, it was a long way from the depictions in film. Out in the middle of nowhere, nothing around, a seedy and yet unsuspecting house filled to the rafters with armed policemen, lying in wait for the bad guys to come storming in, because, of course, there was a snitch in the department. She laughed a bit to herself. This house was more like a starter home for a newlywed couple. Not more than a half acre of land outside and no more than 1200 square feet inside, furnished with 1980's furniture still in fair condition. The carpet was straight out of the Brady household, shaggy as Carol's hair. No one would suspect this house held the key witness for the prosecution in the Yakavetta murder investigation.

Duffy brought in the rest of the bags he had gotten from her parents house. He had promised her parents to keep her safe, the same promise he gave to Connor and he wasn't going to fail. He watched her walking around, taking in the unremarkable house, "Feel like home?"

"More like a sitcom," she smiled, "If there isn't cable you will have to be my source of entertainment," she quipped.

"Really, kinda makes me sad that the department sprang for network."

She laughed, "You're enjoying this too much Detective. I'm assuming there's more than one bedroom?"

"Yeah, sorry, master bedroom on the left and guest bedroom on the right. Take your pick," he pointed down the narrow hall.

Quinn walked toward the bedrooms, Duffy in tow with her belongings. He set them down as she checked out both rooms. "If it's cool with you, I'll take the master," she asked and he nodded picking up her bags and placing them on the bed. She walked past him into the room and looked almost nervous, boarding on ashamed, "Can you help me unpack?"

"Of course," he smiled and led her in. He took out the clothes in the bags and put them in the dresser, Quinn tried to help, but he waved her off. It was near impossible for her to fold clothes standing on a crutch and one arm in a sling, so she directed him on where to put things. Once everything was put away and easy for her to get to, Duffy sighed, "Ok, make yourself at home, I need to go grab a few things. Shouldn't be gone long; you'll be ok?"

She nodded, "Fine, I'll grab something to eat and just veg out I guess."

"I'll see you in a bit," he smiled and left the house.

Quinn made her way to the kitchen, looked in the very well stocked fridge but decided against eating anything. She grabbed a soda and sat on the couch, it was well broken in and comfy. The little house was quiet, not a lot of traffic in the neighborhood, there was the occasional bird chirping, the silence became too much. She turned on the television and channel surfed for a bit before landing on a trashy day time talk show. The people on the show somehow made her feel better about her situation; at least she wasn't pregnant with twins from three different guys. She missed her family, her mom and Rome most of all, how was she gonna get dressed in the morning? She couldn't ask Duffy for help. The thought of him made her smile a bit. Quinn was glad that she was staying with him and not some nameless and emotionless cop. At least with Brendan there was history and familiarity.

Duffy came back after a couple hours, she was glad he returned, someone to interact with that wasn't on "Friends". He put his things away and made dinner, insisting she not lift a finger. The detective made meatloaf and mashed potatoes, good and familiar comfort food.

"Here ya go ma'am," he said placing the plate in front of her with a wink.

"Thank you sir," she smiled at him. The level of ease she felt with him was surprising considering she had only known him for a month or so. Quinn said a quick prayer and then dug in, the smell of the food made her realize just how hungry she was. She swallowed the first bite and it was better than her mom's. "This is so good," she said mouth half full.

"Good, now eat," he said and the rest of the meal was enjoyed without the need for small talk. The two of them sat in comfortable silence. Quinn ate too much, she was starving, being dead certainly made her hungry. They went into the living room to unwind and that's when the Duffy started asking questions of the red head. "You mentioned school, what were you studying for?"

"Mainly to be a teacher, my mom and sister are teachers, and I love kids," she beamed.

"What would you teach," he smiled at her expression, the first genuinely happy smile he'd seen on her face.

"Probably art, I love most aspects of it, except still life. Can't quite wrap my head around making fruit in a bowl look spectacular," she chuckled slightly as she imitated Professor Hunt.

"Sounds complicated," Duffy furrowed his brow.

"I like faces, there's depth and story behind them. You can tell a lot about someone by how they hold their face when no one's looking."

He looked at her thoughtfully, "Really, what could you tell about me?"

Quinn smiled, the inevitable question, "You're kind, thoughtful, funny, intelligent but unsure about what you know, you worry a lot about the people you care for and you smile easily but don't show your emotions to everyone."

He took in her words, right on the money, "You've got a gift, Quinn."

"Reading people is the easy part; it's deciphering what you read that's the gift. I still need to work on that," she looked at the time, 10:30 PM; it used to be early, but now it felt as if she had been up for days. "I'm gonna head to bed, long day and all."

"I'll be up if you need me."

She managed her way into the master bedroom, closed the door, maneuvered her way into her PJ's and climbed into bed. The Vicodin she had taken at dinner wore off sometime around 2 AM and then her nightmares crept into her mind. She tossed and turned, murmuring. It was when she saw Chappy's smiling face sans sunglasses that a scream ripped from her mouth. Her cry echoed through the house, Duffy jumped out of bed and ran into her room. Trying to wake her up from her dream; once she woke up tears streamed down her cheeks and she buried her face into the detective's bare chest. He stroked her hair and tired to soothe her. It took about 15 minutes but she finally calmed down. Quinn was so embarrassed, how many times was this man going to see her cry and be weak, she couldn't look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

He lifted her chin, "There is nothing to be sorry for. You went through something unspeakable and most people wouldn't know how to keep their shit together, let alone be willing to prosecute the people that inflicted the pain on them. I keep telling you, you're stronger than you think. I know it, Smecker knows it, and Connor knew it. You are gonna get through this, I promise you."

She stared at his green eyes, he meant every word, "Ok," she said humbly. "Can you get me some water?" He nodded, left and returned shortly with her pain killers and a full glass of water. "Thank you," she said as she took two pills and downed the water.

"You ok for the night?"

She looked at him, fear still fresh in her eyes, "I have a strange request to ask of you and feel free to turn me down, but…" she trailed off and turned her gaze to her feet.

"Miss Cavanaugh," Duffy voice was soft, trying to pry the question from Quinn, he knelt down beside her, hands on her knees, "You can ask me anything, that's why I'm here."

She looked at him, the look he wore on his face made her comfortable, she'd seen that look before. Connor had used that look, it wasn't one of sympathy or worry or pity; it was one of affection. She took in a breath, "Stay with me?"

Duffy's face read surprise at the request and after a second he responded, "Of course," he helped Quinn into bed and then climbed in next to her. She snuggled up to him, her head on his chest. The smell of the same cologne Connor wore mixed with stale smoke and clean skin comforted her and she fell asleep quickly. The detective's arm's wrapped around her protectively, he looked at the red hair spread across his chest, he should have felt awkward, but it felt right. Quinn's breathing evened out and he lightly kissed her head, before falling asleep himself.


	17. I Won't Give Up

Quinn woke up the next morning, not having moved from Duffy's chest, the detective was sleeping soundly; arms still around her. She propped herself up as best she could and looked at him. With his eyes closed the youthfulness of his face showed, the expression he wore was peaceful. She made a face at the sleeping man, "Didn't know you were that handsome, whatever," she whispered and rolled her eyes.

"And you thought I was sleeping," he opened one eye and smiled at her. Her face went red and she got flustered, wishing her hair was long enough to cover her face. He laughed, "I think we're past this now Q, we did just sleep together."

"If my limbs worked properly I'd hit you," she playfully spat at him.

He laughed again and she joined him, "Need any help?"

She sighed, "Probably, but let me at least put up a fight that I'm independent."

He nodded and helped her out of bed, "I'll be right outside if you need anything," he stood hands on his hips. Quinn nodded, her gaze set at Brendan; he was definitely a looker, that face was something else, he so could have been a 1950's heartthrob. His chest was broad and muscular with a layer of chest hair that only made more rugged and he had a bit of six-pack going on. Duffy smiled as he watched her take him in. "Quinn?"

"Hmm…" she said dreamily.

"Can I help you with somethin' hun?"

She shook her head, waiting for the embarrassment to surface but it didn't, "Sorry, I'll get ready for our day of sitting around now," she walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Quinn listened for the door to close and sighed, "Really Quinn, really," she said harshly to herself in the mirror and shook her head. The shower was uneventful and she managed to get dressed through some wincing, but didn't need the help she thought she would. Quinn ventured out to see Duffy in his usual button down and slacks, the tie was a bit odd, a target with a red bulls eye, but suited his personality.

Duffy looked at her, "No help needed I see."

"I guess not, forced independence works for me," the red head laughed.

"Well Ms. Independent, breakfast is on the table."

She walked into the kitchen, scrambled eggs and toast, "You keep this up, I'm gonna expect it," she said digging into the cheesy eggs and making numerous yummy noises. Quinn looked at the detective, "How are you not married yet," she asked between bites, amazed that this handsome and kind man who could cook wasn't locked up tight.

He laughed at her question, "No idea, not like I haven't tried. All the girls I've dated, no spark. I like a challenge, someone to figure out ya know?"

She nodded, "Yeah," she kept eating and the conversation dropped. Duffy looked thoughtfully at her while sipping his coffee.

The next few weeks Quinn got better, the department brought in a physical therapist for her shoulder. Her ankle was better after a few days of not putting weight on it, she still hopped around occasionally, but no longer needed crutches. Gabriel came by with Paul once a week to go over her testimony. The faux cross examinations hit her the hardest, the DA was just doing his job to prepare her for a tough cross, Yakavetta's lawyer was a shark; he wasn't going to take it easy on a girl that they hid and no longer looked battered. Quinn always cried after the cross sessions and Duffy comforted her after Paul and Gabriel left. There were no updates from the MacManus clan, even if there were; Quinn didn't want to know about it. She had her fill of Connor MacManus; feeling thrown away by him hurt more than she cared to admit.

The girl had set her sights on someone that completely caught her off guard, Brendan Duffy. The chemistry between the detective and Quinn was so natural. He made her laugh and feel comfortable, something that was a feat after what she'd been through. They had been sleeping in the same bed since night one. It was when Quinn started to feel the butterflies in her stomach when Duffy touched her or smiled at her that she forgot how to be herself; even though she knew he was starting to feel the same way. The cat and mouse game went on for a few days before he called her out on her odd behavior.

Quinn flopped into the forest green recliner, legs over the left arm. Not her usual perch, the girl normally sat by Brendan while they ran color commentary over horrific daytime television. The detective came out of the kitchen with popcorn and stared at her, an incredulous look on plastered on his face.

"What," she asked, clearly bothered by the stare.

"Do I smell," he asked tossing her the bag of popcorn.

She shook her head, "No, just wanted to get a different view of the room," she ventured but her statement sounded more like a question. Duffy let out a little chuckle and Quinn bit her lip, turning her eyes away from his.

The young detective moved closer to her, hand on her legs, "You ok Q?"

She sighed heavily and threw her legs to the front, planting her feet on the ground setting the popcorn down as well. Duffy moved again and she met his eyes, "Kinda," she mumbled.

Brendan smiled, "What's kinda mean," he kneeled down in front of her.

She let out a breath; not wanting to admit to how she was feeling, relationships weren't her thing, if the past two had dictated anything. "I'm not sure," her voice was soft, meek even.

"Hey, you can tell me anything, you know that," he gave a reassuring smile. Quinn searched for words but none came to mind, the ginger just stared at Duffy. Her green eyes just swimming with emotion, her face melted into a plea for help. Brendan got closer to her, reading the expression across her face. He knew she was trying to tell him how she felt and it gotten caught in her throat. Duffy had developed more than a crush on Quinn, it snuck up on him the first night, when she asked him to stay. The detective had been waiting, to see if it was real or just his protective nature. The feelings hadn't gone away and she was doing so much better. The red head dropped her gaze to the floor and he lifted her chin, locking their eyes. The smile he wore became wider as he pressed his lips to hers. Quinn's eyes went wide before succumbing to his incredibly soft and giving lips. She kissed him back, moving her hands to the back of his neck. Their mouths moving together as Duffy's arms snaked around Quinn's waist gently pulling her closer, deepening the embrace they shared. Their lips engaging in a sweet battle for control; Quinn finally surrendered and followed Duffy everywhere he led her. After a few moments both heady from finally giving in, their first kiss tapered off slowly. Once his lips were off hers he held her close in a secure embrace, inhaling the light floral scent of her perfume. Duffy let her go meeting her eyes and smiled, "That wasn't so hard was it?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and playfully pushed him, "Shut up," kissing him again.

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**Author's Note -** Thank you my readers, reviewers and alerters. You all give me the inspiration to write more and keep it interesting. I hope that's what I've done with this chapter. I was sideswiped by a budding infatuation between Duffy and Quinn. It hit me more than a few chapters ago and made me stop writing mid sentence and go "Huh. I like it!" Please read and review, your words help me keep going! Thank you for reading, you all are amazing!


	18. Rumor Has It

**Author's Note -** Thanks to all my readers and reviewers you guys are the most potent of awesomesauce! I hope I didn't lose anyone switching it up with Duffy, there is still much more story that is swirling around in my head, so stick with me please and thank you! Please enjoy this next chapter. Read and review, would love to hear from y'all! Thank you again in advance!

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A few weeks had passed since their first kiss and the relationship they had deepened. Both of them found it surprising how simple and easy it was. Quinn thought it was because they were around each other all the time. Duffy had other ideas he was beginning to think is was fate; he saw long term with the fiery red head, just layer after layer of her personality showed something new to him every day, her wit kept him on his toes rolling with laughter. The cross sessions with Gabriel became easier for her to bear, she still cried every now and then but she was getting the hang of it. Quinn was healing, her nose was free of bruising and the brace was gone. All of the bruising on her face disappeared and her shoulder was starting to get regular range of motion without excruciating pain. Her ribs were still slow going, but getting better every day. Almost pain free until she took a deep breath and her ribs shot sharp pain up her chest, but she still liked to test her limits.

"Is there a reason I can't go run, at least at night? I haven't exercised in for-ev-er," she whined.

Duffy laughed a bit, putting his arms around her waist and kissing her neck, "Give it time hun; you're still on the mend. And you really aren't supposed to be outside," he told her. Quinn raised an eyebrow in response, "I break the rules because I'm sweet on you," he kissed her lips, "If you haven't noticed," kissing her again.

She looked at him thoughtfully, "There is another way to get in some exercise," her voice took on a sultry quality which lost all seriousness as she gave him a set of goofy bedroom eyes.

Brendan laughed, shaking his head, "What happened to taking it slow?"

The ginger sighed, "This is slow, for me anyway. Besides I already know everything about you. Boston native, three younger sisters Brittany, Belinda & Bridget, mom and dad been married for 30 years, favorite color is green, you like pie instead of cake, birthday is April 7th, you're 27 and you're partial to red heads," she winked.

The detective smiled, "I know Q, but it doesn't feel like the right time. With the trial and everything else coming up in less than a month…" his voice trailed off.

"You think you're betraying Connor," she realized, "Bren," she sighed, "I loved the man, I still do, but as part of my past. We both knew that we'd have to move on when this shit storm started. I freaked out when he told me and with what you're planning," he eyed her, "Oh, please you're not exactly stealthy B; it still freaks me out. But I'm behind it as much as I can be. When he goes, he goes without me. That day in the garage, he kissed me goodbye, he's not coming back for me and even if he did who's to say that I'd go with him," she sighed again placing her forehead against his, "I'm over him," she said with determination, locking eyes with him, "All I see is you." Quinn kissed the detective, showing him that no other man was on her mind. Her mouth covered his, surprising him when her tongue invaded. Brendan, while taken back, followed anxiously as she kissed him. Strong arms wrapped around her waist pulling her in closer, pushing her frame closer to his. She broke the kiss, "Believe me?"

He nodded, words not forming as fast as they should have, "Yeah, hun, I believe you. Still," he moved his hands from her hips to her face, "Let's wait, at least till the trial is over."

Annoyance swept over her face, "You're such a girl sometimes." Duffy laughed and Quinn's irritation melted, "Fine, we'll take it slow." She looked at him, "You gonna let me in on your little plan?"

"They don't want you to know."

Quinn read his face, "They don't or you don't?"

"Both. Come on Q, haven't you been through enough," he pleaded with her. Those green eyes looking over a freshly healed girl, Duffy never wanted her to suffer again as she had. Her nightmares had lessened, but not by much. They were still sleeping in the same bed; she couldn't sleep without him there. The nights when he came back at almost 3 in the morning she was still wide awake, afraid of having a flashback without him. She still relied so much on him, not that he minded, he was falling for her big time. A smirk appeared on his face as he looked at her attempt at being angry, it was the cutest thing.

Quinn rolled her eyes, "Fine, don't tell me. But, can you tell me if my trial prep is worth it? Will I actually get to testify before whatever happens goes down?"

Brendan sighed, "I'm not sure. There isn't exactly a time line with trials and who knows what the boys will decide to do." His eyes roamed over her again, almost wishing he'd given in to her, and then this conversation wouldn't be happening, although it was unavoidable. Glancing at the clock, he didn't realize what time it was, he opened his mouth, "I'm…"

"Late," finishing his sentence, "Go, I'll be up when you get back. Be careful, I kinda like having you around," she tossed him a concerned look.

"I will be, sweetheart, I promise," kissing her goodbye, "Try and get some sleep if you can."

Quinn nodded and watched him walk out the door again, "I can't sleep without you Brendan, I kinda hope I don't ever have to," heaving a sigh, she sat on the couch, flipped on the television and got on with her exciting night of channel surfing.

Duffy walked into the station, traveling with Dolly and Greenly was better cover. The other two detectives greeted him then proceeded to the parking garage, taking an unmarked car to the hotel where the MacManus clan was staying at this week. The conversation between the three of them shifted from the normal small talk to why Duffy has such a goofy look on his face.

"What's with you," Greenly asked clapping him on the back.

Brendan looked between them as he drove, "Nothin'."

Dolly glared at Greenly, then turned to Duffy, "How's she holdin' up?"

"Better, still gets nightmares, but she looks like she used to. Bruises have faded, nose is fixed, almost full range of motion in her shoulder. Just waiting on the ribs," he said.

"Girl's got a lot of balls," Dolly said, the others nodded in agreement.

The car was quiet again, just like the Boston neighborhood, until the next light when Greenly brought up the expression on Duffy's face again, "Why are you so happy?"

"Give it a rest Green Beans," Dolly told him.

Brendan sighed, "He's gonna find out sooner or later, but this stays in the car, ya hear me," the young detective nodded, "Quinn and I are a thing now."

"Ah, what the fuck Bren?! What about Connor?"

"It's complicated," Duffy rolled his eyes, pulling into the hotel parking lot. Smecker was outside waiting, flicking the end of his cigarette. The detectives piled out of the car, Greenly's shocked expression didn't escape Paul.

"You told him?"

"Smecker fuckin' knew before me," he whined.

"He knew before me," Duffy told him, walking past the FBI agent into the room being greeted by the boys and their father.

"What's with Greenly," Murph ventured.

"Last to fuckin' know, as usual" he looked at Connor who was grinning at the lament, "Except for maybe you," he pointed to the lighter haired twin.

"What the fuck's he talkin about," Connor asked Duffy.

"It's nothin to worry about," Brendan glared at Greenly, taking a seat.

Connor got up, lighting a cigarette, "How's Quinn," his voice was light and friendly.

"Better now that she's fuckin' Duffy," Greenly snorted, regretting his last sentence as soon as it left his mouth as Connor snapped his head from Greenly to Duffy. To add injury to insult Dolly and Smecker smacked his head.

Connor's eyes grew wide, glaring a hole in Duffy, "What the fuck is goin' on," his fists shaking, cigarette hanging from his mouth, anger coursing through his veins.


	19. Deja Vu

**Author's Note -** Thank you so, so, so much DeDe324 for your awesome and inspiring words both in reviews and messages, I love you! More thanks to all my readers blowing up my stats page, I am overwhelmed at the response Walking has gotten and I hope that you'll all stick with me till the end. Without my readers I would be writing to an empty room, so thank you all from the bottom of my heart, which is the best part hence all the songs written about it. So as most of you can tell I'm on a roll, three chapters this week and I'm a third of the way done with the next one. Please enjoy, read and review! I would love to know what you all think of what I'm doing. Thanks again in advance.

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Murphy jumped in front of his brother, he would have found it funny if Connor wasn't looking to kill the detective, "Connor, calm the fuck down," he yelled pushing his brother back into a chair with the help of their dad. "It's none of your damn business what she does now, you let her go."

Connor growled at Duffy, "I trusted you!"

"Connor," the deep voice of Noah MacManus bellowed throughout the room catching the attention of not only the intended but every man in the room. His voice softened, "The man did nothing wrong. You made your choice and the lass made hers, you have to accept that my son. From the state of her, she'd been through enough already. You can't expect her to pine away for you. He's a good man; he'll take care of her. Won't ya," his deep hazel eyes turned to Duffy, studying the detective. Same age if not younger than his boys, Duffy's determined green eyes held Noah's gaze as he nodded confidently.

Connor took a few breaths to calm down before getting up and crossing to Brendan, "Outside," he said, voice still rough, grabbing his cigarettes then marching outside with Duffy following him. A flick of a lighter was heard then flame lit up the Irishman's face, "Ya ever fuckin' hurt her, I'll kill ya." Brendan nodded, letting Connor continue, "Don't you be breakin' up with her either," he eyed the man, blowing out a puff of smoke; "Ya love her?"

"More than sure of it; somethin' special isn't she," he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. Connor recognized that smile; it's the one he wore when he thought of the red head.

"Aye," he nodded, "I mean it, she stubs a fuckin' toe under your watch, yer dead," he poked the detective's chest playfully, then hugged him. "I'm glad she's with ya," the Irishman said smiling then it dropped, "Ya aren't…"

"No," Duffy shook his head, "In her estimation, I've been too much of a 'girl'," he laughed.

Connor joined him, "Sounds like my girl," he caught himself, "your girl. Come on, we got plans to discuss," he smacked Brendan across the back and walked inside.

"Be in soon, gonna finish," he said lighting a cigarette. Connor nodded, entering the room. As soon as he was gone, Duffy exhaled sharply his hands found his head, "Holy shit," he took a deep drag, realizing the cigarette wasn't gonna cut it. He needed a drink. That was possibly the scariest thing to ever happen to him. He finished the smoke walking into the room and was immediately handed a shot, the detective downed it without question. Duffy handed the shot glass back to have it filled again by a smiling MacManus and Brendan threw it back again, "Thanks, needed that."

"Figured," Connor said with a laugh, taking a shot himself. "Sorry 'bout blowin' up at ya."

Duffy shook his head, running his hand through his hair, "Trust me, I understand. I do wanna ask one thing though. Is she gonna be able to testify before you kill him?"

The three MacManus men looked at each other having a conversation without words. Noah answered the question, "From what me boys have said, it would be better for the lass to not relive her experience again," he looked to Smecker.

"We hoped that she would never have to testify, but we're gonna keep up the appearances of the prep sessions. She needs to take it seriously, even though we all know what a smart kid she is, just in case. Duffy why don't you get out of here and take care of her; I'll take these guys home," he nodded to the other two detectives.

Brendan nodded, "Thanks, I'll let her know without letting her know," he turned to leave.

Connor stopped him, handing him a note, "Can ya give it to her?"

"I will," he smiled a bit, "Thanks Connor," he left the room, letting out a breath as the warm night met him. He drove to the station, switched cars and made the trek to the safe house. The adrenaline in his veins still pumping showing itself as he smoked six cigarettes on the way. He opened the door and Quinn ran into his arms. "Hey hun missed you too," kissing her.

"You weren't gone long," she said happily.

"Yeah," he sighed heavily.

Quinn raised an eyebrow at him, "Somethin' on your mind Bren?"

"Greenly spilled the beans about us and Connor nearly killed me," he confessed, trying to sound a bit scared.

"HE WHAT?!"

The detective almost lost it at her exclamation, "Well, the upside he's glad you're with me, but he did threaten me. I'm not supposed to hurt or break up with you," he smiled.

"Not Connor, I knew that would happen. You told David, really," she asked, her voice full of exasperation. Quinn loved Greenly, but he could be a big pain in the ass sometimes.

"Not like I had a choice, he wouldn't let go of the happy look you keep putting on my face."

"Loose lips, Brendan," she mused a bit annoyed he handed her the note, "What's this?"

"Connor asked me to give it to you," he smiled, walking to the kitchen grabbing some water, "Water?"

"No," she played with the paper in her hands, wondering if she should open it or toss it. Her eyes darted from Duffy to the note a few time as she absently shook her head, almost afraid of what he had written.

Brendan came up behind her, arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder, "You don't have to read it. I'm gonna head to bed, you comin'?"

She nodded, "In a bit," her voice a million miles away as she stared at the letter. Duffy kissed her, making his way to the bedroom. He glanced back at her, his eyes full of concern, more than anything he wanted to know what the Irishman had written. The detective shook his head, running his hands through his hair continuing his trek to bed. The ginger sat down on the couch, feet planted, elbows on her thighs. "Come on Quinn, grow a set," she opened the note. Tears fell from her eyes as she read the words, smudging some of the blue ink and soaking through the paper. She dropped it on the floor as she flew to the front door, unlocked it slamming it behind her.

Duffy jumped at the sound, "Quinn," he called but received no response. His nerves on edge as he ran to the living room, picked up the note on the floor and read it through the tear stains:

"Quinn,

Please forgive me, I never meant to get you involved in this mess. If there was any other way I could find, I would. Keep yourself out of trouble. When the smoke clears, I'll come back for you.

I love you,  
Connor."


	20. Truth Or Consequences

Author's Note - Thanks to all those who bumped my stats up and read my little story here. Means the world to me, gives me the drive to write and write better. Special thanks to DeDe324, without whom I would be stuck. Thanks lady, you are wonderfulness wrapped in chocolate and you make my day. FYI, if you haven't read her stories, do yourself a favor and do so, totally worth it. So next chapter kids, enjoy. Please read and review!

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Anger coursed through the amiable detective, how could Connor do this to her. As if she wasn't confused enough, Duffy shook his head letting his sense take over him. The guy probably wrote it before he knew and didn't have time to change it or think about it during the near altercation. Couldn't blame the guy for still being in love with the girl; something special indeed. Dropping the note and venturing outside, she was sitting on the step face to knees shaking and sobbing silently. Brendan sat down putting a strong and protective arm around her. The red head moved from her knees to his bare chest. Soothing her as best he could with just holding her, no words came to his mouth. Duffy tried kissing her head but Quinn shook him off. Sitting up she fixed her eyes on his handsome face, her green eyes bright, almost glowing wet with salty tears. Pain was clear on her face coiling her pretty features. The silent question pulsed through her eyes into his; Duffy nodded, making her cry harder.

"Hey," his voice returned stiff and quiet, almost strained, "Listen to me," he took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him, "Nothing is decided for you by anyone else. You and only you can make up your own mind," he tried to smile.

Quinn searched his face for some trace of confidence, "What happens if he does come back for me?"

"He'll have a hell of a fight on his hands," the detective smirked, but was dead serious.

The girl's face lightened a bit, "Brendan," she sniffed a couple times as he nodded, "I love you," her voice in a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear.

Stunned and overjoyed at what he heard, his mouth hung open like a fish. He knew they had been growing closer and closer, but it never crossed his mind that she was feeling the same way. Brendan looked at her covered her mouth with his kissing her passionately. All the emotion he was feeling from the love for Quinn, the anger for Connor and the confusion of the situation were in that kiss. The detective pulled her onto his lap keeping their lips locked and Quinn held onto like it would be the last time she touched his skin. Strong hands groped the small of her back as her nails dug into his shoulders. Duffy loosened his grip on her and pulled his lips away little by little, not wanting to get carried away, especially outdoors. If they kept going, it wouldn't matter where they were, clothes would come off and no boundary would be off limits. A dazed expression replaced the pain on her face and question marks filled her eyes. Brendan touched her face lightly, moving her now longer locks behind her ear. The smile he wore answered her questions before he spoke, "I love you," he kissed her again. "Let's get you inside." She tried to stand but he held her to him and carried Quinn inside to their bedroom. He laid her down gently, kissing her lips, those sweet, full honey lips he craved more and more. The detective's hands lightly traced her shape above the red head's clothes, stopping to feel how soft her skin was where her tank lifted at her midsection. Creamy, pale and smooth satin like skin under his fingertips sending tremors up Quinn's spine, she grabbed his hand.

"What happened to waiting," her voice was playful but soft.

He leaned to her ear, "I'm tired of waiting," he whispered, nibbling her earlobe, moving to her neck. Quinn let his hand go and it continued to roam over her skin as he kissed her neck. The ginger's hands held Brendan's strong shoulders almost pulling his full weight on top of her. Her need for a human touch had increased since realizing the love she felt for Duffy, holding onto him like she might lose him any second. The nimble man rolled to his side pulling Quinn with him. Brendan pulled the light blue tank before pulling her close and nibbling her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth. Quinn inhaled the scent of his skin as she moved her tongue into his mouth and tasted the all too familiar combination of whiskey and cigarettes. She pulled away immediately, tears making a river down her cheeks. Duffy's eyes flew open to see the fragile state, he encircled her with protective arms, "Hey, hun," he said quietly.

"Sorry," she squeaked out.

He laughed a bit, "There's nothing to be sorry for, Quinn. Things are messy and confusing, I get that. I'm not going anywhere, so whenever you're ready I'll be here."

She smiled at his reassuring words, "Thanks Bren," wiping away the few remaining tears, "I promise I don't normally cry this much," her voice half serious.

Duffy laughed, "I know," he kissed her head, "Get some sleep," pulling her closer.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"Love you too, darlin'," he said softly, kissing her head. Quinn smiled as she fell asleep listening to the smooth and steady beat of his heart. The detective listened to her breathing even out, "Funny thing love, it gets you when you least expect it. I'll take care of you, I promise," he kissed her head before falling asleep himself.

The next few days were routine, Duffy and Quinn spent time together, leaning more about each other, Gabriel visited going over her testimony, Paul came by just to check up on the couple. Sex was a touchy issue; Quinn was overly worried about what Connor had written to her. She knew better but something was tugging at her good sense. The detective hated seeing her in such mental turmoil; she already had so much to go through Quinn didn't need to have Connor looming in her thoughts when she was just trying to get back to normalcy. Making up his mind to talk the Irishman that night; hopefully his answers would put her at ease.

"Want me to smack Greenly for you?"

The red head thought for a minute before shaking her head, "Nah," she hugged him, "Don't do anything stupid about that note please?"

"Me? Never happen," he winked at her.

"What are you planning," her eyebrow raised.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Want me to get you anything," he kissed her head.

"I'm good, just hurry home. It's too quiet without you."

Duffy walked to the door, "I'll be back soon. Love you."

"Love you Bren," she called blowing a playful kiss.

The detective walked out the door, knowing this could back fire big time, but he had to confront Connor about it. Duffy thoughts raced as he drove to the hotel by himself, hoping to talk to Connor alone before everyone got there. The sun was setting behind the building when he pulled up. Exhaling sharply before knocking on the door; Murphy answered hair disheveled an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips.

"You're early," his voice was a bit scratchy, flicking his lighter.

"Need to talk to Connor," Duffy said as a wave of nerves hit him.

Murphy turned into the room nodding towards the door. Connor saw Duffy and nodded. The blue-green eyed man grabbed a smoke and walked outside with the young detective. "Quinn ok," he ventured before flicking his lighter open.

"Not really," Brendan said blowing out smoke.

"Ya read it?"

He nodded, "Please tell me you wrote that before you knew I was in love with her," his voice sounded different, almost begging the Irish twin.

"Aye, got hell from Murph and Da for it," he said taking a drag. "Didn't mean ta upset her or you; steppin' on another man's toes not how I work," he shook his head.

"Good," Duffy said pointedly, putting out the cigarette.

Connor smiled, putting an arm around the detective, "You were about ta kick my ass weren't ya?"

Duffy laughed, "If it came to that, yes."

"Good man, get out of here, go take care of her. Tell her she doesn't have ta worry about me," a smirk spread across his face, "Unless she wants…" Duffy cut him off pushing him playfully.

"Duffy," Paul called, "You're here," he questioned followed by Dolly and Greenly, "Thought you'd be takin' care of Quinn."

He nodded, "Goin' there now, had some business to discuss. Trial's in two weeks, I'm guessing I'm not supposed to be out of the safe house."

Paul nodded, "Tomorrow, take her out of the city, New York possibly; get her something to wear for the trial. After that you two are on lock down until the day, at least you can tell her it's almost over."

Brendan nodded, a swell of relief hit him breathing was easier again. Ecstatic that this journey was almost over for Quinn, he drove a bit faster just to tell her the news. "Hey Q," he called to an empty house. "Quinn," he called a bit louder. Duffy flew into the house and spotted her in the backyard, her red hair catching the porch light making it shine. Sliding open the door he joined her on the porch swing, looking at the drawing she was holding.

"I drew this just before the whole MacManus thing happened," she stared at her family looking happy. "I haven't seen them in three months," she turned to the detective, smiling at his handsome face that wore the biggest grin she had ever seen. "You have good news?"

"Date's set for the trial, two more weeks, it's almost over."

"How long is the trial gonna take?"

He shook his head, "From what I know, not long. But, bright side, no more trial prep and I'm on lock down with you. Except…" he trailed off.

"What B?"

"Ever been to New York?"

"Yeah, what are you getting at?"

"Right, army brat, forgot that. Well I have permission to take you there tomorrow, need to get you something for the trial."

Quinn threw her arms around Duffy, "That is quite possibly the most amazing news ever," she covered his face with kisses. "You sure you can handle me on a shopping trip?"

"Hun, I'll handle anything you throw at me."

"You say that now, but you've never been with a Cavanaugh woman whilst in our natural habitat."

He laughed, "Which is?"

"The wilds of a department store," the ginger grinned, "Maybe we can get you a new tie or seven."

He scooped her up laughing, "I thought you liked my ties," he pouted.

"As your witness, it was interesting, as your girlfriend, they need to go," she kissed him. He laughed and his heart melted a bit at her use of the term. Somehow made it official; his eyes wandered over her, it was as if lightening struck his brain and he was awake for the first time. He was going to marry this girl.


	21. The Start Of It All

**Author's Note - **So as you all can see I'm on a roll. Big thanks to all those who read or who follow my story or added it to their favorites, best people ever. Special acknowledgment to miss DeDe324 and her wonderful, inspiring, thoughtful review, I would have been stalled without her pushing me. Thanks for letting me type your ear off, it's much appreciated. Lady you is gold, solid milk chocolate bunny gold. I would also like to extend a thanks to tknoir1101, HorrorFan13, Valerie E. Mackin and my guest reviewers for the words you sent in the beginning that made me keep writing this story, taking it to places I wasn't all that prepared for. I'm sorry I didn't give you all thanks earlier, you deserved it and I dropped the ball. I still hope you're reading and enjoying where I'm taking Walking. So here we are lovelies, the beginning of the end, please enjoy. If you feel so inclined please drop me a line or review, trust me they do not go unreceived or unwelcome, I would love to hear from all the people reading. Thank you all again!

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The trip to New York was uneventful and it seemed longer than four hours. Quinn was so excited to be outside and see other people. Not that the same three faces she saw for the past three months were bad, but a change was nice. The hustle and bustle on the busy NY streets revived the red head, now having enough energy coursing through her veins that she dragged the detective straight to the men's wear department.

"We're here for you, not me," he said, voice in a whine, however his smile gave him away.

"Finding me something to wear is easy, those ties," she grabbed the gun metal grey one he wore flinging it over his shoulder, "are going to be a challenge," she laughed, "Color is your friend," continuing to drag him around the store.

"So am I your doll or boyfriend at this point," he said giving in to her demands.

"Both, you're my boyfriend who's a doll," she batted her eyelashes at Duffy, reaching up to kiss him.

"If you weren't so damn cute," he followed her to the table with ties all the colors of the rainbow with just as many patterns to match. Quinn carefully eyed a few, pulling out an emerald green, one dark blue, one a steel grey and a diagonal striped bright red. She held them up to him, ignoring his eye rolls and exasperated sighs, nudging him a few times.

"See how this makes your eyes pop," she said holding the dark green one up to his neck, "You want dark colors and bold patterns," he opened his mouth, "No bulls eyes," she stuck her tongue out, "This is a good start, now it's my turn," she smiled as they went up the escalator to the women's department. "So, I understand I'm not getting a new wardrobe, but what kinda damage can I inflict?"

He laughed, "Just don't go super crazy, I do have to justify this." Brendan was amazed at how fast she put together her trial outfit, navy skirt with off white pin striping and jacket to match, nude satin button down blouse and navy heels. She tried it on giving him a bit of a show; he sat back smiling, "Aren't you beautiful?"

"Thanks B," she blushed, "Ok, let's get out of here so the lock down can commence." She changed quickly, throwing the outfit at him so he could pay, "You better get those ties," she teased. The drive back was again uneventful, but seemed to go by faster. They stopped for dinner before traveling back to the house.

The next two weeks took its toll on Quinn, she was fidgety and nervous. The red head hating not knowing what was going to happen and she was scared to face Yakavetta in court. She wasn't sleeping which meant Duffy wasn't sleeping. Out of pure exhaustion one night she fell asleep on the couch lying across him as he stroked her hair. The detective was relieved she finally fell asleep; he carried her into their room, snuggling up next to her wrapping his arms around her before sleeping himself.

The day of the trial Quinn woke up a good 45 minutes before the alarm, showered, pulled her hair back, "I'm gonna have to cut you after this is over," she said at her hair that now went past her shoulders.

Two arms circled her waist, "I like it long," he whispered before kissing her cheek.

Quinn smiled, "I'll keep that in mind," turning to look at him, her lips brushing his. "Go get ready," staring at the half naked detective. Duffy gave a laugh walking away, "But not too fast," she told him before finishing her hair and make up. Quinn put on the suit and heels making her way to the kitchen where she was handed coffee, "Have I told you I love you lately?"

"Not today, but it's still early," he smiled giving her quick peck on the cheek. "Ready?"

"Do I have a choice," Quinn asked raising her eyebrows. Brendan shook his head, "Then yes, I'm ready," she took a deep breath letting it out slowly. "Nice tie, by the way," she said with a wink at his emerald tie.

The journey to the courthouse was grueling, the ginger couldn't sit still. Playing with the radio, tapping her foot or wringing her hands; Brendan grabbed them. The girl's green eyes turned to meet his at the stop light. "You'll do fine," he told her pulling up to the front of the building, reporters where everywhere. Quinn's eyes grew wide with fear before Duffy pulled away towards the back entrance. They met Paul and Gabriel in the parking garage.

Agent Smecker helped her out of the car and he smiled, "Nice choice," he said admiring her outfit, "You ready?" Quinn nodded shakily as Paul cracked a smile, "You'll be ok, I promise," he handed her to Gabriel.

"Missed you the last couple weeks," he flashed a dazzling smile and she calmed a bit. "Come on, it'll be over soon."

She froze where she stood, her hand jutted out and grabbing Duffy, "Can he please come with me?" The three men looked at each other and Paul nodded, "Thank you," she hugged the man from the FBI. Duffy put his arm around her, keeping her close to him.

A slow elevator ride up to the ground floor and then while walking the corridor a voice called, "Bambina."

Quinn's blood ran cold as she turned to see the charismatic smiling face of Yakavetta. Almost gloating that he'd get off even with her testimony; a tremor ran down the girl as she frantically shifted her eyes from Gabriel, to Duffy, to Yakavetta to his lawyer.

"You aren't supposed to talk to her, let me do it," the lawyer said. He flashed a greasy smile at the red head as he approached, "Ms. Cavanaugh, so glad to see you're amongst the living," there was an underlying threat in his sentence that every one within earshot heard. His dull brown eyes were filled with nothing but malice, his tall stature was intimidating as he towered over the 5'3" Quinn. Dark brown hair slicked back with too much product making it unnaturally shiny. A lightly tanned hand was extended to her. Quinn took it hesitantly, his smile got bigger pulling her in, "Hope you enjoyed your time," he whispered. Duffy pulled her back into his chest catching the eyes of the attorney, "Detective," he nodded.

"De Luca," Brendan spat back at him, his grip firm on Quinn's shoulders.

"Just introducing myself to the girl that came back from the dead," De Luca's grin was ear to ear and the way he spoke sent shivers down the ginger's spine. "Dominic De Luca," he told her, "I look forward to hearing your testimony," the attorney glared at her before turning to Yakavetta who winked at her.

Once they were gone, Quinn's breathing became rapid and her whole body was shaking. The detective and the DA helped her to a bench, "I don't think I can do this," she managed, pushing back tears.

Gabriel looked at Duffy, "Get her some water," the DA encouraged her after Brendan left, "Yes, you can. You've taken everything I threw at you without breaking. Trust me I was harder on you than he could ever dream of being. I have faith in you," he grabbed her hands, "Just breathe, you'll be perfect."

Brendan handed her a glass and her breathing evened out, "Ok, just seeing him threw me," she took a few sips of water.

"I know, but you've got this," the DA told her, "Let's go," he helped her up and led her into the massive courtroom. Duffy was behind her, almost pushing her into the enormous room, gently coaxing her when she wouldn't move.

The vastness of the elaborate courtroom stunned Quinn. A balcony filled with people looked down on the floor below. No judge sat behind the bench. The bottom seats on Yakavetta's side was filled with reporters and news crews, there were at least five cameras around the room. On Gabriel's side were a few witnesses to the mob boss's lesser crimes, Quinn was the linchpin that the DA's case was based on. Instantly overwhelmed she clung to Duffy. Yakavetta whispered something to Dominic never taking his eyes off the red head. The stare was menacing, he was enjoying himself, knowing he'd get off. Brendan escorted her to a seat, putting himself between his girl and Yakavetta's eyes. Her fidgeting came back and even his hands couldn't keep her still. It was about 15 minutes before the bailiff announced the judge's arrival.

"All rise," a deep, resonating voice rang through the room, "The honorable Judge Nathan Phillips, presiding."

"Be seated," the judge called, "We are gathered to hear the case against Joseph Yakavetta for the crimes of murder, extortion, assualt and kidnapping. Prosecution ready," he asked.

Gabriel stood up, buttoning his jacket, "Yes, your honor."

"Defense, ready," the judge turned his head to Dominic.

"Yes, your honor."

"I'll hear opening statements. Mr. Christiansen, begin," his orders were straight to the point.

Gabriel stood, buttoning his jacket again, "Seems like familiar territory," he started addressing the jury, a few laughs were heard in the quiet courtroom. The court reporter furiously typing as he continued, "This man," he pointed to Yakavetta, "Joseph 'Poppa Joe' Yakavetta has committed heinous crimes affecting numerous victims, including one Quinn Cavanaugh." Quinn's head snapped up and turned to the DA, he smiled and continued, "She was kidnapped by Yakavetta soldiers, held captive for days, tortured and left for dead, all because she was friends with a man who was supposedly hunting down and killing members of his mob crew. Through her testimony we will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Yakavetta is guilty and should finally receive the justice he deserves. Thank you ladies and gentlemen of the jury," he nodded to them and to the judge before taking his seat. He threw Quinn an encouraging look, she nodded and her resolved stabled.

Dominic rose, "Ladies and gentlemen, my colleague is sorely mistaken. What happened to that poor girl is certainly a tragedy; however it was not at the hands of my client. He was out of town when she was found at his home. The men responsible for her torture have all been killed themselves. I will argue that Miss Cavanaugh was a poor girl putting herself through school on a bartenders wage, she was trying to make a little extra money on the side, by employing herself in the world's oldest profession," a few more scattered laughs were heard as he continued, "her injuries were a result of that side job, having nothing to do with my client, thank you," he sneered at Quinn as he sat down.

So that's what it was, going to ruin her reputation, call her a whore. All she had to do was stick to the truth and wait for the boys. She exhaled hard, Duffy rubbed her shoulders. "You okay," he asked in a hushed voice.

She nodded, "Yeah, just want it over with."

"Call your first witness Mr. Christiansen," the judge called.

Standing and buttoning his jacket again, Gabriel called, "I call Quinn Victoria Cavanaugh to the stand," he turned flashing his smile as Quinn rose.

The detective squeezed her hand giving her a nod. She made her way to the witness chair feeling the eyes of Yakavetta burning into the back of her head. Sitting down, she blew out a breath and readied herself for both lines of questioning.


	22. Q&A

Author's Note - Big thanks and loves to my all those blowing up my stats for this story, you all make me so happy. A special thanks to my cube neighbor Travis, he helped me bring the realism of the court scene to life, without him this chapter would not be possible. And a warm and gooey thank you to DeDe324 for the fabulous review on my last chapter. I think I finish chapters sooner just so I can see what she'll say about them. For those reading, check out her stories, so good! Onto the chapter kiddies, I feel the end is near, but I'm not sure how many chapters it will be. I hope you all enjoy this, and yes I'm shamelessly begging for reviews. It would make my anytime of the day. Ok, done rambling, please read and review!

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The bailiff walked over to her with a Bible and held it out to her she placed her left hand on the book and raised her right, "Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"I do," she answered.

"Be seated," the bailiff walked away and Gabriel approached her.

"Can you state your name for the record," he smiled.

She looked at him and caught a glimpse of Paul standing in the back smiling at her. An ease fell over her, "Quinn Victoria Cavanaugh."

"How old are you Quinn?"

"Twenty-two," she said.

Another smiled crossed his handsome face, "Do you know the defendant?"

"By reputation mostly, but yes he killed my friend…"

"Objection; asked and answered," De Luca rose.

"Sustained," the judge said, "Just answer the questions he asks you," the judge's voice was kind as he nodded.

"Yes, you honor. No, I do not know him personally, we met once, I know of his reputation."

"Good," Gabriel said and walked back to the prosecution table picking up the pictures of her from three months ago, bruised, broken and beaten. They were blown up to poster size and you could see all the horrific detail. Her broken nose, the bruising to her face, her shoulder dislocated before it was pushed back into the socket, the hundreds of cuts on her midsection with darker bruising, "I'd like to enter these four pictures into evidence as A,B,C and D," the DA said setting them up on easels. Quinn stared at her appearance, appalled at what she saw. It almost seemed like a bad dream until she saw herself trampled and damaged. Tears stung her eyes and her calm façade cracked, her breathing became rapid and her green eyes were glued to Duffy.

He was disgusted at the pictures as well; he forgot that they would be showing them in court. The detective locked eyes with his girl and mouthed, "Breathe baby, breathe."

"Ms. Cavanaugh, do you recognized these photos?"

"Yes, they're of me, three months ago."

"Can you tell us how you got these injuries?" She sucked in a breath, "Take your time," he coaxed.

"I was taken off the street by a man I came to later know as Geno and put into the back of a sedan. They took me to Mr. Yakavetta's home and held me there for," she thought for a minute then shook her head, "I don't know how long I was there."

"Objection; how can the witness possibly know where she was if she didn't see it," Yakavetta's lawyer growled.

"Sustained," the judge turned to her again, "Only the facts you know, miss."

"Yes your honor," she said quietly, "I was taken to a home," she glared at Dominic, "Mr. Yakavetta was there. He asked me if I knew what Rocco was planning."

"Who is Rocco," Gabriel asked.

"David Della Rocco, he was a friend and regular at the bar I worked at," the DA nodded letting her continue, "I actually laughed at the question, Rocco wasn't the planning type," a few laughs escaped the audience as she continued, "When I laughed, Geno slapped me across the face and then Mr. Yakavetta told the three men standing around me to make me talk. I was then taken into a room, tied to a chair and was beaten and cut by a man named Chappy and Geno after him."

"What happened after that?"

"They, Chappy and Geno, came in several times and worsened my injuries. It wasn't until Geno came in to get Chappy because to quote 'Boss needs you, leave her, we got 'em'. Chappy left with Geno, leaving me alone."

"When you say 'them'?"

The red head forced the answer, "Connor and Murphy MacManus and David Della Rocco."

"And how do you know the MacManus brothers?"

A smiled crept onto her face involuntarily, "They were friends with Rocco, regulars at the bar and I dated Connor."

"What happened after Chappy left?"

"I fell asleep under exhaustion; Geno came in and smacked me awake. He undid the handcuffs and dragged me into a basement or garage, I'm not too sure. I don't really remember much, I was in so much pain from being dragged into the room, all of it's a blur of blood and muffled screaming," a few tears streamed down her cheeks but she continued casting her eyes to the determined face of Paul Smecker, "Mr. Yakavetta looked me in the eye laughing as he said 'Ah, bambina, see your friends have come to save you.' When I was unresponsive, he slapped my face and said, 'You should be awake for this.' Then Chappy pulled me up on my knees to watch, I heard the hammer of his revolver click and then Mr. Yakavetta shot Rocco point blank in the chest killing him," more tears fell but Quinn held her resolve strong. "I don't remember anything else that happened in that house after that, I passed out and woke up in the hospital."

Gabriel was silent along with the rest of the courtroom, absorbing the information she had told them. The DA walked to the witness stand, grabbed her hand, "Thank you Quinn, no further questions your honor," he gave a wink to Quinn before sitting down.

"Cross," the judge asked.

"Yes, your honor," De Luca got up buttoning his jacket, hand to mouth thinking a sly expression on his face. "That's a riveting story Ms. Cavanaugh," he started. "How many jobs have you held this year?"

The ginger's expression changed to shock at the odd question, she thought for a moment, "Seven, I think," unsure of the number, her confidence faltered a bit. Quinn looked at Brendan who gave a smile.

"You think or know Ms. Cavanaugh?"

"It was seven."

"And why so many," he sneered at her.

"I was consistently late until my last position as a bartender."

"Did you quit or were you fired?"

"I was fired," trying to hold back her annoyance.

"Interesting," he walked around, studying the pictures of Quinn still on display.

"Objection," Christiansen called, "Is there a point to this line of questioning?"

"Establishes character," De Luca told the judge.

"Overruled, continue, but get to the point quickly Mr. De Luca."

"Yes, your honor," he turned to Quinn again, "So you're unreliable, can't get to work on time ever, how are we supposed to believe you as a witness?"

"My being late has nothing to do with what I saw or what happened to me," Quinn's voice was strong causing huge grins on Duffy, Gabriel and Smecker.

De Luca chuckled at her response, "Good point," he smirked, "Did you have a sexual relationship with your customers at the bar?"

"With Connor only," she stated.

He nodded, "What about other people?"

"Objection that is not a specific question," Gabriel stood.

"Sustained, frame it differently," the judge told the lawyer harshly.

"How many people have you had a sexual relationship with?"

"Two," she stated.

"Two, you swore to tell the truth Ms. Cavanaugh."

"I am, I was almost raped by Geno, but I've only had sex with two people."

"Ms. Cavanaugh, I have witnesses that state you were carrying on illegal activities to earn money, soliciting yourself."

"I'm sorry Mr. De Luca; your witnesses are misleading you. I have never and will not ever be a prostitute."

He smirked at her, "No further questions your honor."

"You may step down Ms. Cavanaugh," the judge told her.

As she stepped from the witness stand her face was blank, that was it? That was the big run on dragging her reputation through the mud? As she walked back to Duffy she saw what the defense had been hiding, Robbie; he was sitting on the defense side glaring at her. Quinn froze where she stood; Duffy saw him and pulled her into the bench with him. He flung an arm around her, "He won't be able to testify," he whispered. The girl stared at him with wide eyed understanding and nodded absently.

"Any further witnesses Mr. Christiansen?"

"Not at this time, but request for re-direct?"

"Granted," he turned to the defense, "Call your first witness Mr. De Luca."

"I call Joseph Yakavetta," Dominic stood with the mob boss as he walked to the witness stand. He was a cocky son of a bitch, strutting like he owned the place. The Italian turned giving a wide smile and wink to Quinn, her shocked expression still glued to her face. Yakavetta was sworn in then De Luca started his questioning, "Where were you when this alleged incident happened," the lawyer turned to Quinn same sneer on his face.

He laughed, "I was with my mother, we went to the butcher," he motioned to the small woman with orange hair in the balcony. She was wearing at dated blue suit; she stood and blew several kisses to her son on the stand. Laughter broke through the room as Yakavetta continued, "Actually, I don't remember where I was," he laughed, he was a master at double speak, his eyes trained on Quinn and the detective holding her.

The red head looked away from his cold eyes turning to where Smecker was to find he was gone. She turned to Duffy, "It's soon huh," he met her question with a nod. Brendan opened his mouth to speak but the back door of the courtroom exploded inward and all eyes were toward the sound seeing three men with guns come into the room. Quinn got a glimpse of Connor as he grabbed Yakavetta by the collar. He and Murph dropped him to his knees in the front of the room. Connor looked at the red head almost cowering into Duffy from all the confusion and screaming in the courtroom, his eyes trained on her, full of worry. He looked to Duffy, cradling her, a strong want running through his body, wishing he could be her savior.

The elder MacManus took the judge and through his protests pushed him back with the rest of the people, "All camera's off," he bellowed through the courtroom. The patriarch looked down at Quinn, giving a slight smile to her.

The fear she had felt was replaced by peace, it would be over all over within minutes. The air in her lungs felt light and her breathing calmed. Still clinging to Brendan, she knew that this was the answer to her prayers.


	23. Burn It Down

Author's Note - A big thanks as usual to all my wonderful readers, I hope you are enjoying each new piece I put up. A special thank you sent with a lot of sugary goodness to my story buddy DeDe324, you are so amazing, talented, funny, sweet and a great motivator. Thank you for all the PM's, reviews and tweets that not only stroke my ego but strike up inspiration. If you have not read her stories, do so, it's an order, you can come back to mine anytime. I'll wait...

Anyway, there's still more to come, but Walking is winding down. Please enjoy and if you did, drop me a line and tell me how I'm doing, would love to hear from you. Thank you in advance!

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Yakavetta called to his cronies in the balcony, but Connor raised a boot kicking him to the floor, "Shut the fuck up," before dragging him back to his knees.

The boy's father walked around the courtroom with a weapon poised in his strong hands, "You people have been chosen to reveal our existence to the world. You will witness what happens here today and you will tell of it afterwards. All eyes to the front," he told the frightened people in the room as Connor and Murphy had the mob boss at gunpoint. His voice was in control and strong, it reminded Quinn of how her father talked to his soldiers. The elder MacManus walked through the audience, making sure everyone was watching. He walked back past Duffy and Quinn, he nodded to them.

Quinn's green eyes locked with the patriarch's deep hazel briefly before traveling to the blue eyes of Connor and Murphy. She felt breathless; they were going to kill him, in front of her, in front of all these people. Her fun loving and carefree boys were going to kill someone, not that he didn't deserve it. She looked back at Duffy thinking how many more people would have to die before things were set right? The red head had a short-lived fantasy about killing her torturers but would never actually go through with it. Or would she? Noah moved behind the Italian. Connor and Murph jumped up on the defense and prosecution tables, two guns held in there steady hands. Connor's voice rang throughout the room, even above the loud ringing of the fire alarm.

"Now, you will receive us," he shouted his voice was harsh, strained; it reminded Quinn of someone walking on broken glass.

"We do not ask for your poor or your hungry," Murphy continued, voice just like Connor's.

"We do not want your tired and sick," Connor picked up, the twins continued to stagger the lines of their speech, looking to all the faces in the courtroom.

"It is your corrupt we claim," the darker haired twin caught sight of Robbie cowering under the bench and nodded to Connor.

The lighter haired man leveled a baleful stare at Quinn's ex, "It is your evil, who will be sought by us," he growled at the jock as he cowered more trying to fit completely under the bench.

"With every breath we shall hunt them down."

"Each day we will spill their blood till it rains down from the skies."

"Do not kill, do not rape, do not steal. These are principles which every man of every faith can embrace."

"These are not polite suggestions. They are codes of behavior and those that ignore them will pay the dearest cost."

The twins locked eyes with the detective and the ginger; both sets of eyes looking at the MacManus brothers were wide with awe and fear. Brendan pulled her in closer to him, almost trying to shield her from what was going to happen. This however would not be the first time she had seen someone die and he knew that. Duffy wanted more than anything to pick her up and take her out of the courtroom, Quinn had suffered enough, there was no reason he could think of that she needed to see this.

Murph turned his gaze to the balcony, "There are varying degrees of evil. We urge you lesser forms of filth not to push the bounds and cross over into true corruption…into our domain," his voice turned ice cold.

Connor turned away from Quinn, it was almost painful to see her here, but there was no getting around it, she had to be here; his guns dropped a bit as the shocked look on her face remained on his eyes. A sharp stare from his brother and father snapped him back to the task at hand, "For if you do, there will come the day when you look behind you and see we three. And on that day you will reap it!"

"And we will send you to whatever God you wish," the threat was quiet but it sent shivers down the skin of every person in the courtroom.

The boys jumped off the table and joined their father behind Yakavetta who was cursing in Italian. Three guns aimed point blank to his head. All three Irishman spoke in unison as they recited a prayer, "And shepherds we shall be; for thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from thy hand that our feet may swiftly carry out thy command. So we shall flow a river forth to thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be."

Quinn lowered her head as they finished the prayer reciting the Latin quietly, "E nomini patri, et fili, e spiritu sancti," genuflecting as three simultaneous gunshots resounded through the room, leaving Yakavetta dead. Screams took over the microsecond of silence. The smell of gunpowder strong in the air, it became thick almost suffocating. The audience, lawyers, media and judge fled for the doors; leaving the mob boss' corpse, the Irishmen, the detective and the red head alone. She was frozen where she sat as Duffy tried to pull her up. Looking at the carnage that stood no more than five feet in front of her; Quinn cast her eyes between the twins and Duffy all of which were screaming at her to move, but all she could hear was muted ringing in her ears.

The boy's father held her shoulders looking into her eyes, "Ya need to go lass," he almost whispered to her, his steady voice snapped her out of the trance.

Meeting the older man's eyes, "Take care of them," her voice quiet. He nodded, kissed her head then he and the boys disappeared out the way they came in. Quinn stood for a moment but fainted into Brendan's arms. The detective caught her carrying her down to the garage, gently placing her in the car. He then sped away to the safe house.

It was a few hours later Quinn was awake and pacing the floor still in her court outfit. Brendan sat on the couch nervously bouncing his left leg eyes focused on the girl, awaiting the cavalry. Smecker opened the door; he was followed by Dolly and Greenly. Hugs and handshakes were exchanged between the five of them. Paul took both their statements as witnesses to the scene, but he told them it was merely a formality, the MacManus clan was already gone. From that point on, the bond between them all strengthened, promising never to speak of what had actually happened.

Before Paul left the red head grabbed him, "When can I go home?"

A smile crept onto his face, "Soon, wait till the media circus dies down, no more than a month tops. I'll try to squash it as soon as I can at the Bureau," hand on her shoulder, "You did remarkably well Quinn, you should be proud of yourself," he looked at Duffy, "You staying with her?"

Brendan nodded, "Can't leave her by herself," he winked at the girl.

"Good man. Okay, you two let's go," Paul ordered walking out the door.

The detective came up behind the Quinn wrapping strong arms around her waist kissing her head inhaling her perfume, "This could be a permanent arrangement ya know."

An amused smiled appeared, "Why Detective Duffy, are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Was thinkin' about it," he nuzzled his face into her hair and kissed her neck.

"Isn't that a bit sudden? What if we don't work out," her questions full of playfulness, Quinn had never been sure of any man, even Connor in the beginning, but she was dead sure of Duffy.

"I don't place bets unless it's a sure thing, sweetheart. So, that a yes?"

The ginger turned to face him, "Absolutely," her eyes on fire. "I love you B."

"I love you," he kissed her lightly; "You've made me so happy," he pulled her into him and held her securely.


	24. At Last

**Author's Note -** Million and two thanks to my beyond beautiful readers, I love you guys! Yet another shout out to my wonderful DeDe324, she helped mold the last scene and this one. Thank you friend, you have made this story so much fun to write, your sweet and thoughtful words in your reviews and PM's keep me going. And no I don't think too highly of you, it's just the right height. So, sad news, only a few more chapters to go. I hope you all have enjoyed Quinn's adventure so far and have stuck with her through the speed bumps. I sincerely thank all of you who took time to read, review or add this story to your alerts or gave it a favorite, you didn't have to but you did and that means the world to an insecure writer such as myself. Please enjoy and drop me a line if you feel so inclined, would love to hear from you, even if it's ways I can improve, always looking for constructive points of view.

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Quinn looked at Duffy as a wicked smirk appeared on her lips, grabbing his hand she pulled him towards their bedroom, "I'm about to make you even happier," her voice low and seductive.

The detective's mouth hung open a bit at her forwardness, but didn't fight; he let her pull him into their room. Brendan sat on the edge of the bed and Quinn straddled him, her eyes locked with his. His mouth upturned in what could only be described as anticipation and curiousness. Quinn's mouth looked fuller than normal and deeper in color. The girl pressed her lips to his, hands in his hair. Duffy grabbed her hips pulling her closer running his hand up her back deepening the kiss. Their tongues entangled as hands roamed, groping freely. The muscles in his back tensed as her delicate fingers grabbed his shoulders for a moment before moving to his blue shirt, undoing the buttons expertly not taking her mouth from his and ripping it from his torso. Brendan fumbled a bit taking off her jacket and blouse, thrown by the aggressiveness of his girl. The kiss was broken for a moment as Quinn threw off Duffy's undershirt, staring a bit at the well built detective.

His chest was hairy but it added to his rugged charm, broad chest and muscular arms were just a bit tan. Duffy's hands rested on her hips as she bit her lower lip getting lost in the perfection before her. The smile that crept onto his mouth was one of flattery, not one woman had ever looked at him that way before. It was a look of love mixed with raw animal lust, almost like she could devour him with her eyes. Hands moved to the naked skin of her waist sending a wave of goose bumps over her entire body. Turnaround was fair play as he took in every inch of her exposed skin, creamy white and smooth. The detective ran his fingers over her shoulders, collarbone, ribs and hips. Bringing them to explore the curves of her breasts, starting at the top of her exposed skin giving a light and soft touch, tremors ran through the girl at his touch, she sucked in a sharp breath, his touch was intoxicating. Duffy's first reaction was to stop, but he continued cupping her breasts in his hands gently massaging them. Quinn let out whimpers of pleasure, forcing her mouth back on his running her hand through his soft hair.

Feeling how hard he was getting as she sat in his lap, making her smirk into the kiss. Brendan's tongue exploring her mouth as he unhooked her bra throwing it to the ground then continuing his assault on her soft and ample chest, feeling every inch of them with his hands. He teased her nipples with his almost touches making them hard. Moving his lips from hers sucked her right nipple into his mouth running his tongue over her flesh, gently nibbling. Quinn moaned entangling her fingers in his hair. Duffy smiled moving to her left, continuing his attack. The sounds the ginger made were like a symphony to the detective's ears, how long had he wanted this girl. Now she was here at his mercy, the moment was flawless just like her creamy skin now wet and red from his mouth. He moved his mouth back to hers, picking her up and standing her on the floor, pulling their naked torsos flush. Nails dug into his back as her hands made their way to the waistband of his pants. How she undid them without looking amazed him, shoes were kicked off and Quinn unzipped her skirt it fell to the floor, his boxers and her panties followed quickly. Brendan held her at arm's length looking at her naked body, eyes roaming over her exposed skin, such a lovely woman. He lost his breath at the sight of her, "My God you're gorgeous," his voice was husky.

Quinn blushed slightly, "Thanks, pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome." She took in every inch, the cut "V" at his hips, well-built legs, biting her lip again at the size of him, sneaky man. Her hands explored his body wrapping her hand around his shaft, he shuddered a bit. Lightly stroking him, touching the tip and moving to the base a few times, making her hold firmer as she went. Duffy exhaled sharply. Smiling again, she dropped to her knees placing her mouth around him; if it was possible he got harder in her mouth. Warm and wet, gently sucking and tugging, running her tongue over his length, he stopped her before she went too far. The detective laid her down on the bed propping himself on his side. Tracing her skin with his fingertips he made his way past her hips exploring the cleft between her legs, his fingertips running over her lit. Quinn's back arched at the touch. Brendan didn't hold back placing his mouth on hers invading it with his tongue he plunged a finger inside her. Quinn moaned into his mouth as he moved at a steady pace, rolling his thumb over her. Feeling her dampen as an orgasm ripped through her body he released her mouth. She locked eyes with him, her chest heaving and breathing heavily, "Stop teasing me B," she begged him. Smiling impishly, he kneeled over her, reaching for the nightstand and quickly pulling on a condom, "Such a boy scout," her comment was half admiration half teasing.

"You know me Q, always prepared," he smiled, "Ready?"

"Willing and able," she whispered as he lowered himself down and pushed himself inside her. A moan came from both of them simultaneously. Moving within in her slowly keeping their eyes locked as the beads of sweat started to accumulate on their bodies. The feel of his skin on hers was like a drug, she needed it again and again. Soon it was too much to bear, groans and sighs of pleasure escaped from her mouth feeling herself start to succumb to this man. Waves of her orgasms came one after the other and her cries got louder and more intense. Nails raked his back and her legs wound themselves around his hips pushing him further inside. Leaning down, close to finishing he nibbled her ear and neck he came with almost explosive intensity. Never had he felt this way with anyone. Dripping with sweat and both out of breath, he held himself barely above her trembling body, he shuddered a few times as the aftershocks hit them both and she clenched around him. He managed to roll off her without collapsing and held her close, just admiring her body. It wasn't too much later that they fell asleep in each other's arms. For the first time since she had been at the safe house, Quinn slept through the night without having a nightmare. This man, the detective with the classic 1950's face had become her salvation.


	25. The Objective

**Author's Note -** Thank you to all my readers, you are so wonderful and I love you all so much. A special thanks to DeDe324 for always being there for me, making me laugh and giving me confidence to keep posting. You keep it up lady, I'm gonna get a big head. I love you! So, I'm sad, I've got one maybe two chapters left. I have had such a blast writing this, having it keep me guessing and stretching my imagination to places that scared me a bit. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Please read and review!

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A year had passed, Duffy and Quinn moved in together, being extremely happy with one another. The red head had thrown herself back into school, taking on more than a full class schedule, she wanted to fast track her teaching degree. The trade off was she was exhausted almost every night, asleep before Brendan came home most nights. He admired her for it, she wanted it and was going after it full force, made him love her even more.

"Are you sure you want to do this," Greenly asked skeptically.

Duffy made a face, "Of course I'm sure, now stop being a baby and help me out."

"Not all of us can remain bachelors forever," Dolly piped up.

They walked into the little jewelry store, all three of them blinded by confusion. Never had they been faced with so many choices. Brendan started to hyperventilate and the other two walked him outside.

"See, it's not the right time," the skinny detective said a bit triumphantly.

Duffy shook his head, "No, it is, I just need a better opinion," he called Rome, "Hey, need your help on something. Know the jewelry shop on Sleeper St? Can you meet me there," there was an ecstatic squeal on the other end of the phone that everyone within a five foot radius heard. Duffy laughed a bit, "I'll see ya in a few," he hung up. "The real expert is on her way." He turned to Greenly, "Why are you being so weird?"

Greenly shrugged, "I'm happy for ya Bren and I love Q," he paused, "I just don't want the band to break up."

Dolly shoved him lightly, "They've been living together for a year and 'the band' is still together. You weren't nearly this whiny when I got married."

"That was different; we didn't have this _thing_ tying us together, besides what happens if the boys come back," his voice became hushed.

Duffy and Dolly rolled their eyes before Brendan spoke, "Dave, it's been a year, no one's heard anything from them. I doubt they'll come back and even if they did, are you trying to tell me that Connor would go after a married woman?"

The goofy detective was taken back then shook his head, "No, I guess not."

"You better not have looked at anything yet," Rome called.

"This is your expert," Dolly said with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, I am, who knows my baby sister better than me," she slapped the Greek detective.

"You got here in record time," the love struck detective said.

"My little Quinn is going to be proposed to, ya don't think I'm gonna haul ass to get here. All right you two can go, my future bro and I need to talk," Rome threw her arms around Brendan, "I'm so glad it's you," she whispered.

He smiled, "Thanks Rome, ok help me out here sis," he said walking into the jewelry story followed by Dolly and Greenly.

Quinn's sister stopped, "Didn't I tell you to go?" They opened their mouths to protest, "I don't wanna hear it. She's my sister; you two can wait to see it like everyone else. Don't you have murders to solve?"

Brendan laughed as the other detectives couldn't think of a comeback for the silver tongued woman as they turned away. "Now I know where she gets it from."

"Engagement rings," Rome said to the little man behind the counter. Duffy joined her looking very overwhelmed. She put an arm around him, "You'll be fine, she adores you. Trust me, it's a sure thing," the brunette reassured him, her blue eyes kind.

"Thanks for coming Rome," he smiled.

"What's the budget like?"

Brendan laughed, "Straight to the point, $2500."

Rome looked at the detective, "Damn, my baby sister is cleaning up, nice B!"

He blushed, "Thanks Rome," he wrapped her in a hug.

The owner behind the counter brought out a selection of several diamonds all different shapes, styles and even colors. After debating back and forth about what style and shape for about 45 minutes they finally picked out ½ carat round white diamond with a diamond studded frame a 1 carat total weight. Thanking his good sense to call Rome, she and her sister had the same ring size.

Rome looked at her hand with a discerning eye, "It's perfect!"

Duffy picked her up and spun her around, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Put me down Brendan," she laughed out the order. He obeyed. Rome looked him dead in the eye, "You will not break her heart you hear me? And you will ask our father permission for her hand."

The detective smiled as he paid for the ring, "I was headed there next. You should know by now I'm not gonna hurt her."

Rome hugged her soon to be brother in law, "Good, cuz I'll kill you dead. Now get out of here," practically pushing him out of the store.

Duffy drove to Quinn's parent's house, sweating bullets the entire way, the only time he could think to compare it to when Connor found out about him and Quinn. He was greeted by Quinn's mom, "Brendan, what a lovely surprise," she ushered him in after hugging him.

"Amanda, is Frank home?"

"Make yourself at home, I'll go get him."

The young detective paced going over what he planned to say to the Colonel. How he'd take care of her, she would want for nothing, she would be so loved. The words jumbled inside his head as he almost walked a hole in the living room. Duffy stopped took some deep breaths and walked to the fireplace. Pictures of Quinn when she was a little, smiling, laughing, playing with her siblings; that smile of hers never changed. Big and charismatic, just like her personality, such a beautiful girl.

Frank cleared his throat, "I hear you wanted to see me," a smile on his face.

Mustering all the courage he had, "Yes, I want to marry your daughter," he said. The word 'marry' got caught on his tongue, but he recovered.

The Colonel's smiled dimmed a bit, eyeing the detective, "Is that so? Follow me," doing an about face almost storming off into his den. He winked at Amanda as he passed. "Sit down," he pulled out the office chair and ordered the young man into it. Quinn's father circled him, "So you want to marry my Quinn," he started the tone of his voice on the edge of scary; placing strong hands on Brendan's shoulders.

Duffy cleared his throat, "Yes, sir."

"What makes you think you can take care of her?"

"I've been taking care of her. Anytime she needs me I'm there for her. I will always provide for her, anything she needs," he tried not to sound nervous, but his voice was a bit shaky.

Frank smiled, "Promise me one thing and I'll allow this union to happen," he paused, Duffy on the edge of his seat for the condition, "That we get plenty of grandchildren."

A sigh of relief escaped the nervous detective, "I promise," he smiled.

Quinn's dad turned to face him hugging him, "Welcome to the family son. You're a good man, surprised it took you this long."

"Things finally fell into place."

"Ring," he asked a gleam in his eye.

Duffy pulled out the box showing the ring to her father when Amanda walked in, "Oh, it's so lovely," she gushed. "When are you asking her?"

"Tonight when she gets home," he smiled. Quinn's mom hugged him again, tears in her eyes.

Before he returned home he bought a few dozen red roses and the ingredients for her favorite meal and a ton of candles. When he got home he set up the candles and roses and got to work in the kitchen. Marinating the chicken in mushroom and wine sauce and making sure everything was clean for the pasta. Once the chicken was in the oven he changed into a black button up, black slacks and the green tie she picked out for him. He put the ring in his pocket. He was lacing up his shoes when the door opened.

"Bren, what's going on," her voice called curious as to all the lit candles and the beautiful roses and the wonderful smell coming from the kitchen. He met her in the hallway as she put away her bag, kissing her. The red head looked him up and down, "What are you all dressed up for handsome?"

"Just waiting on this gorgeous red head to come over," he smiled.

"Oh yeah, where'd you meet her," a smiled crept onto her face.

He laughed, "Hungry?"

"Starving, but you still haven't answered my first question. What's going on?"

"Dinner with my girlfriend, who I feel needed to be showered with affection after a grueling day," he ushered her to the table.

"You're up to something," she eyed him suspiciously, "But I'll play along, not gonna say no to pampering, continue," she smiled.

Brendan kissed her, "I love you," he whispered into her lips, sending shivers down her spine.

"You keep this up, we're gonna let dinner burn," she bit his lower lip, running her tongue over it.

"Behave," he told her firmly.

Duffy walked into the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner before serving it to her. They ate in relative silence, other than pleasantries, how was your day, how many more finals she had. The ginger gave curious glances at her beau across the dinner table, something was up, couldn't tell what just yet, but it was big. When dinner was finished, he cleared the plates and came back to the table practically beaming.

"B, what's with you," she smiled at the glowing expression on his face.

Pulling up a chair next to her, he took her delicate hands, "You," he answered quietly, "You have gotten so completely under my skin. I love everything about you. You're so much fun to be around, you're dedicated, determined, so kind and not to mention breathtakingly beautiful," his green eyes met hers and they were starting to tear up. She opened her mouth to speak, "Let me get through this," he begged before continuing, "I love you, more than I thought I could ever love anyone. You've turned my world upside down and I couldn't be happier, except for this one thing," he reached into his pocket and pulled out the black velvet ring box. Brendan opened it and Quinn's face went blank, mouth hung open, tears fell from her eyes as she looked from the dazzling ring to her detective, "Make me the happiest man in this world if by agreeing to be my wife."

Quinn continued to cast her gaze from the box to Brendan before she took in a ragged breath meeting his eyes, "I will."

Duffy embraced her covering her face in kisses, he pulled away and his trembling hand took hers and placed the ring on her finger. Before kissing her again, tears spilled from her eyes down his cheeks, he pulled back, "Happy tears?"

"Extremely," she forced a smile through her tears, "I've never been so happy in my life. I love you so much," pulling him closer kissing him deeply.


	26. Happily Ever After?

**Author's Note -** The final chapter or is it? Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all my readers/alerters/favoriters/reviewers, you all made this story go on. True story, I was gonna delete it after chapter 3, didn't think it was good enough. But I got a few reviews begging for more and I wrote more, then it snowballed into a piece I'm super proud of. Shout out time - **DeDe324**, mama if you hadn't started reviewing like crazy and pushing me, it would have taken me longer to finish it, it's good and bad. All your love and support and just being so damn funny helped in ways you couldn't imagine. Thank you honey, I love you! **PS** - if you **haven't** read her stories **do so**, **Make This Go On Forever** and **Ashes & Wine** are amazeballs!

I appreciate every single person who took time to read even a single chapter. So please enjoy the last chapter of Walking Through Fire. After the curtain closes, please be so kind as to drop me a review and tell me what you think of the end. I would love it! Thank you all again.

* * *

"Is there a Flynn Humphrey here," the Irish bartender asked. The name caught the ear of two of the three men huddled in the back of the near empty bar. A tall red headed man raised his hand and stood exasperated.

"That's me," he walked over to the bar, "You better have a damn good reason for using my middle name kid," he barked into the phone at Quinn, the only person to call him Flynn Humphrey. Her brother's expression changed from annoyance to one of pure happiness, "What? When? Where? Who," he laughed loudly at her scolding, "Only kidding Q."

The lighter haired man's head snapped up at the nickname, he turned to his brother, "That's Quinn's brother."

"What's he doin' here," Murphy asked hushed trying to get a better look at him.

"Yeah, of course I'll be there, are you kidding? You're sure next July. Let me talk to the punk. I'm sure my dad and Rome have threatened you so I don't need to. Welcome to the family. Act like I scared you," he let go of a laugh when Quinn started to scold him, "Only protecting my sweet and innocent baby sister. I'm so happy for you, be good to him. Ok, love you too," he hung up the phone an enormous smiled plastered on his face, "Barkeep, next round is on me," cheers erupted from most of the patrons. The three men in the back nodded to him. Flynn brought the drinks over to them. "Here ya go gents, celebration is in order!"

"What are ya celebratin' lad," the older gentleman asked.

"My baby sister is getting married."

"What," Connor yelled but Murphy kicked him, "Ow, fuck!"

"Congrats," the darker haired twin clapped the red head on the back, "Who's she gettin' hitched to?"

"A detective," Flynn smiled, "Better than her previous, real asshole that one," he snorted. It felt like a knife was driven into Connor's chest and he forgot how to breathe for a moment before Flynn continued, "Never liked that Robbie guy." A rapid breath of relief escaped the lighter haired twin, taking a gulp of his Guinness. Quinn's brother looked at him, "You ok, you look like someone punched you in the gut."

"He's fine, just got some bad news about a girl," Murphy said, trying to hide his smile.

"Ah, I feel ya buddy, well gotta get back to my team. Last round before we head back to base," he walked away downing the beer.

"What the fuck Murph," Connor growled slapping his brother.

"What are ya gonna do," he rolled his eyes. Connor hit him again.

"Boys," Noah stopped them, "Enough," he took a drag from his cigar, "She's in good hands me boy. Don't make me tell ya again."

Wedding planning commenced immediately after the joyous news was spread far and wide. Quinn left most of it to her mom and Rome, since her school schedule filled up most of her time. The couple agreed on July 17th of next year. Giving Quinn time to get her class schedule cleared and time to find everything for the day to be perfect. It was going flawlessly until 6 months into their engagement. Rome, Amanda and a few of Quinn's bridal party from school were at a dress shop having a good time, Quinn trying on dresses and Rome directing her sister to dresses that would not make the bridal party look ridiculous.

"Ah, Rome," she whined, "What about that burgundy burlap sack you forced me to wear at your wedding?"

"Please I was just trying to keep eyes off of you, you were just a child. Now this," she pulled out a silver sheath dress pressing it to her body, "is perfect!"

The red head rolled her eyes, "You're not gonna outshine me on my wedding, Roman Holiday!"

"Is that right your majesty," both girls busting into hysterics which were quieted quickly by a sharp stare from their mother. Amanda never cared too much for the nicknames the kids had given themselves.

"Your majesty," Lucy asked, her blonde curls covering her left eye, "Isn't that what that Irish guy used to call you? What was his name? He was so fine," her questions were inherently innocent but they stabbed Q in the chest.

She took in a sharp breath looking between Rome and her mom, trying desperately to hold back her tears. She hadn't thought of Connor or Murphy in ages. Not that she would ever forget, but she had been so busy first with school and then added a wedding on top of everything they were pushed aside. She wanted Brendan more than anything at that moment. Taking a few deep breaths to stop the hyperventilating, "His name was Connor, Luce. And he was more than fine," she smiled a bit as his smiling faced passed through her memory.

"Whatever happened to him?"

"Not sure, just one day he wasn't there anymore," she lied, not wanting to relive anything that happened two years ago.

"Oh well, his loss," Lucy smiled looking at the bridesmaid dresses.

The three Cavanaugh women looked between one another; this secret might be harder to keep under wraps than they thought. The sales woman, Robin, brought in a few more dresses for Quinn to try on. She and Rome went into the room, tears spilling down Quinn's face.

"Hey," Rome hugged her sister, "Knock it off, Lucy's right, his loss, totally and completely."

"It's not that Rome, I was hoping to never having to think about the MacManus men again," she whispered.

"Well don't, put on this fabulous dress and come show everyone out there how stunning you are," she ordered helping Quinn in to an off the shoulder ivory gown. Bodice covered in lace with corset lacing in the back and full satin skirt. "Oh. My. Goodness. Who are you and what did you do with my kid sister?"

"Shut up," Quinn walked out to a collective gasp.

"Aren't you a vision," a familiar scarred voice piped up amongst the silent women. Paul Smecker stepped into view.

Quinn ran to hug him, "Paul, what are you doing here?"

"Heard Duffy was making an honest woman out of you," he smiled, all that swagger still coming off of him in waves, "Your dad told me where you were. You're getting that dress, won't know what hit him," he winked at her.

"You're coming, right?"

"I'll do my best, can I talk with you?"

"Sure," she followed him to a secluded corner, "What's this about Agent Smecker?"

"Just making sure you haven't heard anything from the boys," he raised an eyebrow.

Quinn shook her head, "No, nothing, I hope I don't."

"You'd tell me though?"

"Yes, you'd be the first person I talked to, even before Brendan," assuring him.

"Good girl," he hugged her again.

The dress was picked, bridesmaid dresses were elegant, the church and reception booked and invitations sent. All that was left to be done was the ceremony. Quinn paced in the tiny room filled with her mom, Rome and four other girls. Dress on make up half applied.

"If you don't stop, I'm sending you down the aisle as you are," Rome snapped at Quinn, pulling her down in front of the vanity. "Come on kid, the hard part is over; it's just two little words, barely syllables."

"Tell that to the dinosaurs in my stomach," Quinn said grabbing her midsection.

"What's there to be nervous about, it's not like he's gonna run he loves you too much and he'll have three members of the Cavanaugh clan after his ass if he does. Two of them are trained to hit moving targets," a playful smile crept onto her older sister's face.

"Rome," the bride complained but laughed.

"Now sit still," Rome scolded as she applied the rest of her make up. It was an array of natural pink, brought out her features but wasn't overdone. "There, perfect. What do you think?" There was another collective gasp at Quinn's reflection. The ginger hardly recognized her reflection, bright red hair cascading in curls past her shoulders, soft pink skin accented just right to make it glow and dressed in the most beautiful gown. Her lip started to quiver. "Not till after the ceremony, ya big baby," Rome said with a hug.

A knock on the door interrupted as the Colonel walked in wearing his dress uniform. "You ready…" he lost words at the sight of his youngest daughter; "Oh, Bee, you look so beautiful," his emotions were starting to break through to the surface.

"Don't you start too Daddy, I just had to tell her to stop. Yes, she's ready. Come on girls, places."

Rome, their mother, the rest of the bridesmaids and flower girl left leaving Frank and Quinn alone. He hugged Quinn, "Can I take back my permission and lock you up forever?"

"Daddy," she said softly.

"I know Bee, he's a lucky man," he held out his arm, "You ready?"

She took a deep breath, "I am now," she took his arm.

He walked her to the archway meeting up with the wedding party. The string quartet started up and the Mindy went first throwing flower petals like confetti, just like Rome that one. Then Rome went followed by the 5 bridesmaids. Quinn took a few deep breaths to settle the dinosaurs in her stomach as Pachelbel's Canon in D started up. The ginger looked at her father who gave a smile, patting her on the arm. Her veil was lowered and the walked steadily together toward the awaiting Brendan. Not having seen him in two days, her eyes were glued to her dashing detective; he looked good enough to eat in that tux. Brendan saw her coming in her gown and lost his breath, Dolly had to hold him up as his knees buckled.

They arrived at the pulpit, "Who gives away this woman to this man?"

"Her mother and I do," Frank said in the strongest voice he could muster. He handed her over to Duffy.

The priest started the ceremony, "Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to join Brendan Duffy and Quinn Cavanaugh together in holy matrimony." He continued citing scripture and prayer until the vows, "The bride and groom have chosen to write their own vows, Brendan."

Duffy nodded, "Quinn, as I told you in the interview room which seems like a lifetime ago, you're safe. You are safe with me, I will never let any harm come to you. You keep me guessing everyday; make me laugh and cry and think. You turned my world upside down and I thank you for that. You've made me so very happy by agreeing to marry me. I accept the challenge to keep you happy and loved for the rest of our lives together. The answer to all my boyhood prayers is you," he kissed her hands, placing the ring on her finger.

Quinn dabbed away a few tears, "Brendan, you made the impossible possible. You kept me sane," a few laughs echoed through the church, "I never would have been able to get through that mess without you. I am thankful everyday that mess pushed us closer together. I have never loved someone as much as I love you. You care and take care of me, make me laugh and let me make mistakes. I couldn't ask for a better lover or friend and I get both in one handsome green eyed man," she placed his ring on.

"If there are no objections," the priest paused for a moment, "Do you Brendan take Quinn to be you lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Do you Quinn take Brendan to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," she smiled.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Brendan pulled Quinn into him, gripping her waist firmly and kissing her. The audience cheered as the couple walked back down the aisle, bells ringing, music playing and shamrocks being thrown at the happy couple.

The reception, held at McGinty's for the very generous discounted price of free at Doc's insistence, was hopping. Tables moved to the far corners of the room so dancing could commence. It was a happening party for about two hours. Then just Doc, behind the bar, Duffy, Dolly, Greenly, Smecker and Quinn, and a few party stragglers remained. The five of them sat around the familiar booth raising toasts to anything they could think of. Quinn stood, a bit wobbly, and raised her glass, "To Connor and Murphy MacManus, without whom I never would have met my husband!"

"CHEERS!"

"You a friend of the bride or groom," a stray guest asked the man standing in the door as he lit a cigarette, staring at the couple.

"Both," he blew out a puff of smoke.

The tipsy girl smiled at him, "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Aye," he took another drag, "Even more than I remember," he said smiling, taking one last look at the red head that used to be his before walking away.


End file.
